Lost Children in the Dark
by The Queen of Heart
Summary: Set 6 months after season 1. Ward received a strange visit at the Fridge. New ennemies crawl in the Dark, seeking revenge and recognition. The help of Gods is a blessing when the enemy holds you by your most primal fear : death. Characters from Asgard may appear in the story.
1. Prologue

**Hello, dear Marvel fans and all of those who clicked on the link to dsicover this story. **

**First, I wanted to thank my amazing friend byLunaA. Without her, I certainly won't be posting this story. She is the best of all. **

**Hope you like the prologue. **

**Enjoy!**

**The Queen of Heart**

* * *

The man was sitting in the surveillance room. It was past midnight, and, even if it was just the beginning of his round. In front of him, images of the twenty or so cells of his part of the Fridge flicked on the screens, showing prisoners, of both genders, asleep or not, in various states of bruising.

The inter-com system beeped and a female sounded in the speaker.

"Hey, there. It's Mary. Can you open cell 214 for me, please?"

Answering with a groan, he unlocked the door of the cell Mary wanted to go in. It's only a few seconds later that he realized something was really wrong. A woman never entered a male prisoners' cell, even she had a gun with her, it was part of the rules of the prison. So why Mary, the facility's director's secretary was doing here, in the middle of the night?

Cell 214… Who was in cell 214?

He reached for the inter-com, ready to alert the security but a hand landed on his wrist. He looked up to see a woman, half of her face covered with a metallic mask. She broke into a sickening smirk.

"Hello there. Don't you dare alert your little friends!"

And his nose came violently in contact with his desk.

Inside cell 214, the prisoner opened a tired eye. They were interrogating him in the middle of the night now? And for interrogations! They were more like beatings than anything else. His sight adjusted to the darkness and he was able to see the young feminine silhouette standing where the metal door usually was. A woman? What was a woman doing here? He sat on the cot with a sigh. His ribs hurted from the morning's beating.

"Ward?"

She had spoken with hesitation and hope. He knew her voice. He couldn't believe it. It was not possible. How could SHE be there? After all he had done, after the anguish and betrayal he had seen in her eyes before being driven to the Fridge? Was this a dream?

"Skye?"

He stood up, bruised and hungry, tired and sad. No, it couldn't be. He walked to her, stopping a few steps away from her because of the cuffs keeping him chained to the cold concrete wall.

She hesitated before stepping up and facing him. He waited for her to do the first step. What was she doing here? He was a hated, violent man, a traitor and a spy. He had broken her trust and shattered the beginning of something that could have led to actual, and mutual, feelings.

"What..."

She hugged him with strength. He wasn't prepared to that. But he wrapped his arms around her frail body.

"I missed you, Ward, she whispered in his chest."

"Me too, rookie, me too."

He breathed into her scent. It was her. Where Coulson and the rest of the team here too? Why? It had been 6 months, at least, and he was desperate to know if Fitz was ok. No news came to his hears. Almost nothing. The bad, dirty jokes of the guards, their thick, greasy and noxious laughs. The cracking of bones hitting bones, the moans and cries of the prisoners, the way they begged. It was constantly noisy, dirty and smelly. And he just couldn't picture Skye here.

He hadn't seen her move. He just felt the needle diving into his flesh straight to the nearest vein.

Skye was drugging him. Her usually warm brown eyes were filled with cold and determination.

"Sorry, Ward. Time to go to sleep."

And all went dark, crushed under the feeling of betrayal and shattered hope tightening his heart.

The man stopped the video with a slight beep from the screen. He looked at the famous agent who was standing at the other edge of the digital table. Agent Coulson, now Director Coulson, was still watching the tape from the Fridge's CCTV system, even if it had stopped.

"So, what do you make of that?"

A discreet cough from the other agent present, Level 8 Melinda May, made him add a more polite and politically correct 'sir'.

"May. Go find Skye."

Skye was currently punching a poor leather bag who had done nothing to her. It had become a habit of hers since her SO was gone. Like the morning routine she had kept (with maybe a few arrangements). Not a way to remember him, no she sadly had plenty of memories of this douchebag. But a way of saying she could do without him. She couldn't let herself rely on the others like she had done with him.

"Skye!"

She lift her head to meet May's stare. The woman nodded, clearly wanting the girl to go upstairs with them. She sighed and followed the older agent to the conference room.

Coulson and another man she didn't know were waiting for her. The Director looked at her in a suspecting way, like he did when she had been caught with her ex-boyfriend last year.

"Skye. Can you explain THIS to me?"

He gestured towards the other man and a video, from a surveillance camera started. In a cell, there was somebody sleeping. The date and hour read 08.26.2016 at 12.06 p.m. The young woman realized quickly the footage was from the last night. And what was on it was unbelievable. The door opened, revealing a young woman standing there. The prisoner moved, sitting on his matress. And the woman spoke.

"Ward?"

Skye's voice resounded in the conference room. What was this joke? She had slept through the night without waking up!

"Skye?"

That was indeed Ward's voice, low and hoarse, almost unrecognizable. He stood up and Skye saw him hug herself. That was weird. Watching herself do things she hadn't done at all. And then, the video Skye pulled a syringe out of her pocket and, by the surprised face Ward made, it surely ended in his throat.

The video stopped and all the agents present looked at her. Obviously wanting for her to say something.

"What? I didn't do this."

"Where were you last night, Skye?"

Again with the cold, anger-filled voice.

"Look AC, I was in my bunk, sleeping. And how could I sneak out the Bus? I'm no cat burglar."

"She couldn't, May said, neutral tone, stating facts. We were up in the sky last night."

They all looked back at the picture. It was clearly Skye. But that wasn't humanly possible.

"So, who is this person?"

* * *

**Please don't forget to review to tell me what you think of this beginning! **

**Until next time! **

**The Queen of Heart**


	2. Back from the Dead

**Hello! **

**Thank you for all your favs, following and the two reviews I get! I'm happy to se you are enthusisatic about this story. **

**New chapter today! As you (maybe) guessed I'll post one chapter weekly. (Oone special one-shot for my birthday? ... Maybe... Maybe not...) **

**Enjoy your reading and don't forget to tell me what you thought about that chapter! **

**P.S. : I do not own Marvel's Agents of SHIELD in any way, nor the characters from other Marvel universe in the story. I do, however, own the plot, and my OCs. Even if they do look like Marvel characters, they are absolutely different. I mostly inspired from the Norse Mythology and it happened to be a coincidence. Thank you. **

**P.P.S. : Dear friend, don't let the pictures kill you, there is two more days to go. **

* * *

"Is he gonna wake up one day? I thought you had picked up a tough one!"

The girl was walking around the room with a look on her face clearly stating that she was irritated. Her stormy blue gaze was fixed on a man's body, lying on the floor. Her long coat brushed her knees at every step.

"Patience is the virtue of victors, Daughter of Thor."

The calm and low voice of Hella was coming from the huge window closing the room. The woman was standing, lying against the wall, facing the sky. The other girl could only see the metal part of her face. And the glassy, milky look of her left eye, now a bluish shade, due to the color of the sky.

"Don't call me that." The girl spat. "As long as I'm concerned, Thor is not worth being my father."

"Thor isn't worth being who he is. Loki should be where this failure stands."

Almost mesmerised by the words of the woman, the younger of the pair approached her and looked up at her. The goddess was tall. And impressive.

"Loki had been so kind to me…"

"When your mother was chasing her foe through Asgard and Midguard…"

"When my father was with his Midgardian lover…"

A noise made their heads swap. The man they had taken from the jail the night before was waking up. The two Asgardians exchanged a look.

"Are you up yet?" Asked the younger. "We do not have all day!"

Ward looked around the room, unconsciously checking for escape opportunities. Something hit him like a ton of brick. Skye. Where was Skye? The two women definitely weren't Skye. One was blonde, and the other... Part metal, part raven-haired.

"Soldier. Stand" The latter ordered.

Dread was creeping on his mind. At the icy, sinister voice, he couldn't help but respond. It was fear. He was terrified.

The blonde raised an irritated and waiting eyebrow. She eyed him with contempt and curiosity. Was this man the mighty warrior they had heard about?

Hella took a few steps towards the man who tensed.

"Grant Ward…"

"You know who I am."

"We heard about you from a very reliable source."

Ward was standing, military style. He didn't know why, but he had to do that. Or something really bad would happen to him. And he didn't want to die.

"I don't know you."

"You want to know who controls you... That's honorable."

"I'm Torunn of Asgard."

"I'm usually called Hella Lokisdottir of Helheim." The creepy one replied.

Her name sent a shiver down the man's spine. He swallowed. The woman burst into a cold, acid laugh.

"You are afraid of me, Midgardian. You are right. No mighty warrior resists my power."

"Hella. Enough with the chat!"

The blonde had just spoken. She seemed to be more impatient than the frightening one. Her face was familiar to him. He had already seen her. Or someone from her family.

"What am I doing here?" He asked. "And where is Skye?"

"Ah. The dreaded question! Finally! Your little friend has never been near you in months."

"But I've seen her!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway. You're here because you're gonna take your revenge."

* * *

The door of the interrogation room closed behind Coulson. The man was nursing his bloody nose, groaning under his breath. He looked up at the agent.

"Finally! Have you find the bloody woman who did this?"

The door opened again, on Skye. She stood near the wall, statue-like. The man gulped and looked away from her.

"I'm Agent Coulson, this is Agent Skye."

"Look, Coolson or whatever. I didn't do that. I'm no way the one responsible for that. I would like to go, now."

The agent looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"You opened the door."

"I thought it was the Secretary, ok?"

"And what the Hell was she doing there in the middle of the night?"

The man opened his mouth, preparing a biting remark. But closed it.

"I don't know."

In the conference room, May was watching intensely the all interrogation. Skye had gone confident and more impressive in the past months. The older agent knew that it was just an armor over her broken heart. But it was already something. More difficult for Fitzsimmons. They were ambivalent on this case. He had tried to save them after all. Ward... She had slept with him. She had trust him. This jerk... This double agent. Oh, he had played his role perfectly, they had all trusted him. Even her... And he had destroyed the heart of the girl she had come to like in a motherly and protective way.

In the lab, Fitz was retrieving data from the eye-recognition system of the Fridge. A bleep sounded at his right. On Jemma's computer, the results of the test she had ran on the sample of tissue from the guard's bruised wrist had just popped up. But the girl was nowhere in sight. Frowning, annoyed by the constant sharp noise erupting from the machine, he called his co-worker. Twice.

He waited a bit before calling again. At the fifth or sixth time, when he was starting to feel upset, she appeared.

"Oy! Stop yelling like that!"

Her cheeks were all pink and her hair slightly disheveled, like she had just run.

"Where were you? You got your results!"

"I was checking something... Oh great…"

Her expert fingers ran on the keyboard while her expert eyes took in every pixel of information she could.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

"We have a problem."

Back in the little dark room, Coulson's patience seemed to be fading as the guard from the Fridge continued to deny everything, and to make sexist remarks.

"You know what they say. Never piss of a woman. Worst than dragons. I don't know who upset this one, the one with the mask. Poor fellow!"

Skye was doing her best not to bite back. Staying stern was the key.

"Speaking of the woman with the mask. Can you say something more about her ?"

"Some crazy chick with all her left side hidden beneath a metal armor or something. More shiny than actually protecting her, if you ask me."

"And other than her physical description?"

They were finally getting somewhere.

" …"

"We do have all day!" Skye growled in the corner.

"Feisty one, you got yourself, man. No offense, sweetie but this is men business."

"And you think my fist into your face is men business?!"

"Skye!"

"Sorry, AC."

Tripp had rejoined May in the conference room and felt that the woman was an inch from facepalming.

"She was pretty strong for some skinny girl. And got a voice that froze my insides! Like she was back from the dead or something like that".

Coulson suppressed a sigh as the lack of accuracy in the man's description. But after all, he was paid to push buttons, something that didn't imply any particular thinking.

Skye preceded him on the way to the door. When he followed, the guard cries out.

"Hey, man! You're not gonna let me rot in here! I'm no prisoner!"

"Why not. And that's not man. That's Director for you."

He closed the door behind him. His younger agent's smile welcomed him in the conference room.

"Well done, AC. You just shut his big fat mouth for a while!"

At that precise moment, when Coulson was opening his mouth to talk, some pretty excited Fitzsimmons ran into the room, almost bumping into Tripp.

" Sir, sir, sir! We got something!"

"That's impossible!"

"Unbelievable!"

"Well not really because we've…"

Before loosing them into their techno-babble and usual brotherly quarrel, May ordered them to talk.

"The fibers of the wrist of the man are 100% not from here, Sir!"

"You mean, S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"No, sir. Earth!"


	3. Along the path

**Hi!**

**So today, as usual, one new chapter of Lost Children in the Dark! **

**Don't forget to review! Last chap, there was no reviews at all! :'( Don't hesitate really, that's always good to have comments, critics or not!**

**Enjoy the chap! **

**The Queen of Heart**

* * *

Her footsteps hadn't had any particular echo that could have warned potential foes of her approaching. Her wrath was indeed important, and no Asgardian nor mortal fancied crossing her path at this precise moment. Armored limbs refleshing in the mirrors along the corridors, dark locks swiftly moving at each of her motions, her staff rocking back and forth again and again, as she was walking unheartedly to deliver bad news to her Prince. Anger, as well as worry, displayed in her gaze.

How did that happen? How did this woman succeed to gather enough power to cross the void between the realms without getting through the Bifrost?

And most importantly, where were she? She wasn't on Helheim, where her power stood, nor on Asgard, where she came from in a way. One of the most deadly threats of the Nine Realms was out, where she couldn't be watched.

On that thought, the door before her opened in a slow and quiet motion. She walked past the threshold and stood in silence, waiting for the man before her to acknowledge her appearance. In one graceful move, his cloak following, Thor turned around, revealing the sharp storm of his grey-blue eyes.

"Lady Sif? What owes me the honor?"

"One infortunate message I would like not to be the one delivering to you."

"Talk."

And there was the warrior she had come to love after years of battling side by side. Not the stiff and pompous prince he had become in the last few years, shaped by the iron will of the All-Father, but a man capable of worrying for lives lost, for wars to come, for the love of a woman. This was a side she hadn't seen in a long time, now a side only one Midgardian woman could see. To say she was jealous was an understatement.

Taking a deep breath, Sif began to speak.

"Hella Lokisdottir is gone."

Shock readable on his features, the man looked at her intently, waiting for details.

"We should have jailed her. She's nowhere to be seen. And she didn't crossed the Bifrost. We searched through Asgard and Helheim, where she could be. No sign of her."

"We shall hunt her down. Sif. Take a few men and search the other realms. I'll go talk to Heimdall."

The woman nodded and turned back after a little formal salute.

"Wait!"

Frowning, she waited. He walked towards her, narrowing the space between them. For the first time in a while, there were almost equal.

"How is she?"

"I don't know."

"But she's your daughter, you should know."

"And yours. Don't tell me what I have to do with her. You're not worth of it. Leave me alone now."

On this word, the woman exited the room, leaving a quite upset Thor behind her. Because she was right.

* * *

The car was rolling on the road, straight forward on the never-ending line of asphalt. He was driving, neither Asgardian had wanted to touch that roraing Midgardian machine.

It had been only a couple of days since they took him from the Fridge. Ward had quickly understood the dynamism of the group. Torunn, the impulsive blonde, led them, with her quick pace and impatience. She was belligerant and wanted destruction. But there was something else about her he didn't catch. Something deep down inside the very core of her being, past the armor she wore, as clothes as much as to protect who she really was inside. Her look was one of a young woman, in her early twenties. Seemingly innocent. Dirty blonde locks, piercing blue eyes, fair skin. She was tall, but not that tall. Thin, muscular. Her body was always covered by an armor, dark blue leather, shining metal, her red cape. Her sword was fixed at her hip and he had caught the glimpse of a knife in her boot. But she stayed a killer. He had already seen it.

Then was Hella, like a cold, frightening body guard. She didn't talk much. But when she did, everybody listened. She had a sort of power in inspiring terror in others. Her simple being here made everything much simpler. Just her look inspired fear. The entire left side of her body, from head to toe, was covered in a metal armor. He often thought it made her practicly invincible, her heart being on this side. Her eye, in the little slit in her mask, was milky white, changing a little bit of shade according to what she looked at. The right side of her body was all pale skin. Her hair was pitch black, straight. The right eye was the same color as her hair and clothes. Her lips were as red as blood. Black hair, white skin and red lips. A terryfing Snow-White...

And then... Stayed him. He didn't really know his role in all of this. Driver? Probably not. The way they had called them 'mighty warrior' when he had woken up meant they had chosen him for his fighting skills. But there were dozens other excellent fighters in the Fridge. Why him?

He was suppose to fight at their side. But against who? They had talked about a revenge but he didn't want revenge. He was worried about the team, about how he had hurt them. He wanted to get back and apologize. Even if it was to be beaten up by May. But he really didn't care about that. He wanted to explain everything to Skye, to Coulson... They had trusted him and he had betrayed them in the most horrible of ways. He had slept with May to stab her in the back. He had befriended Fitz and almost killed him. And he blamed himself so much.

On the passenger seat, Torunn sighed. She was bored to death. It was way too slow for her taste. How could mortals live like that? The panorama was repetitive. It wasn't like that she was going to take over that planet! Oh, they thought she wasn't worth it? She was going to show them.

"Are we there yet?"

He looked at her.

"Not yet. 30 minutes left."

"Can't you make it faster?"

"Nope."

She sighed exasperetly and came back to her silent observation of the road.

"Do I know you?" He asked.

That question had been bugging him since he had met the girl. She looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"That's a lame pick-up line."

He laughed. This girl was different than any of the Asgardians he had met. She was more close to Midgardian culture. Just the way she talked was different from Sif or Lorelei's archaic phrasing.

"You seem familiar…"

"I've never met you, Grant Ward. Now shut up and drive."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

_He couldn't look at her in the eyes. But he had to do it. He just had to. She deserved to be the one getting out of it. She deserved to stay alive. More than him, anyway. He turned around and punched the device. She screamed, he felt tears rushing on his cheeks. And the water came. _

_It felt like hundreds on punches in the gut. All air expulsed violently from his lungs and the crashing cold of the liquid around him, on him, in him. He felt life sucked out of his body as the same rhythm than the air. He felt his body starting to scream for oxygen. He knew that it would be his death. He felt her hand around the collar of his shirt, dragging him with her. She deserved to be alive. He was dying anyway. _

_He had often thought about dying, when he was younger. When he was alone and lost in his little square room after coming back from high school. He had asked himself how would it be to take your own life away. When he was sad and lost, when his classmates bullied him for being a nerd, when his parents fought and he heard his mother cry. When he saw her putting earrings out of his father's car, earrings he had never seen before, ones he was sure didn't belong to her. Dying would definitely feel better than the life he lived. If it was a life. Was it a life? He didn't know. And he didn't want to know. He knew they were far worst countries to live in in the world, he knew some people had a worst existance than his. But he just wanted to be selfish. _

_And now, it was his selflessness that was killing him. How ironic. _

_It was cold. Too cold. He felt something different. It was calmer. Darker. More peaceful. He closed his eyes. And let go._

Leo Fitz woke up with a start. It was night. It wasn't the first time he had that nightmare. Was it really a nightmare? He wasn't frightened, he was just... Sad. He might as well had died.

All was different. Simmons was different. She had become distant. And he hurt him so much. He had sacrificed himself for her. And her... She treated him like he wasn't her best friend anymore. Like something had changed. And he didn't understand that.

Being back on the hunt for Ward felt strange. He had betrayed him. But strangely, he didn't want him dead like Skye or May. He didn't want revenge.

He stood up, dressed up and went to his lab. On the table, parts of one of his new dwarfs were waiting for him. But he didn't want to do that. He opened his laptop, put earphones and turned the music on. The blank space of a text page opened. Time to forget. To try.

* * *

**Thank you for reading that chapter! **

**I would like you to tell me what you think will happen next! **

**Don't hesitate to criticize !**

**Until next week! **

**The Queen of Heart**


	4. Hail Your Queen

**Hi! **

**I know this chapter should have been posted yesterday but I completely forgot! (Bad Bad Writer!)**

**Thanks to all the ones who supports the story by following and favoriting it. Thanks to my amazing friend who is always there for me on Facebook. Thanks to my amazing supportive man, I love you so much, darling. **

**New chapter, maybe some surprises. **

**Enjoy! Don't forget to review, fav or follow. **

**The Queen of Heart**

* * *

In the darkest chamber of all Asgard, far in the heart of the Palace, where servants never went, was standing Loki Laufeyson, heir of Jotunheim and King of Asgard. He was bored to death by the royal duties he had to attend in Odin's form. He craved recognition of his power. He craved the sound of crowds chanting his name. But he had to wait. Patience was the virtue of Kings.

"My King!"  
"Yes, Lorelei!" He hissed, turning around.

The splendid red-head was tanding there, her features bold but fear leaking from her eyes. He quite loved her. Loki's love always came in twisted schemes. He loved her afraid of him.

"The plan you thought of is a success."  
"Of course it is, lover. Am I not the God of Mischief?"  
"Yes, My King. You are."  
"Good."

He stepped towards her, enclosing her in his solid embrace. The fear in her eyes made him smirk wolfishly. He kissed her violently but she smiled.

"Sweet Little Lorelei…" He whispered in her ear, making her purr in delight.

"Now what, my King?" She asked in a low whisper.

"Now we just have to wait." He said, his smile of victory on. This morning smelt good. It was the beginning of a new era. His era. The time when terror was his ally on the people of the Universe. When Midgardians were prey. When he reigned by the blood he made flow. When he reigned. And when they praised him. Loki. Laufeyson.

* * *

"Sif!"

The woman drew back her sword and turned around, her eyebrows raised up in annoyance. She was wearing her training gear, her dark brown locks hardly knotted at all. She had just spent a couple of hours in front of her friend Fandral, fighting hard. And at the moment she finally felt relaxed, Thor ran into the field, shouting her name.

"Yes, Thor?" She said, annoyed.  
"Heimdall found the Lokisdottir."  
"So what? Can't you find guards to catch her up?"  
"She's on Midgard."

Sif sighed. They would have to deal with that SHIELD organization again…. She wasn't anti-human as where a good part of Asgardians, but she had to admit mortals were really annoying. Sometimes.

"You want me to go and talk with the mortals, am I right?"  
"Yes. And I shall come with you."  
"I can handle that alone, thank you Thor."  
"But the problem isn't the mortals. The problem is the one accompanying the Lokisdottir."  
"What? She found herself some dangerous Midgardian criminal?"

"Worse. She found herself Torunn.

Sif breathed in. Bad news. If Torunn was involved… Here came the day both of them had been dreading for.

* * *

The car's tires squealed on the asphalt. The soldiers looked up, to the trio exiting it, to the guards coming behind them, all completely under their control. They drew out their guns, aiming the two women and the man. If the women were dressed as warriors, with a solid-looking armor, the man was only wearing a T-shirt. So they aimed for him first.

The blonde woman, who looked like the leader, stepped forward, making all the soldiers tense.

"Humans! We mean no harm to you."

One of them, surely the most reckless of all, answered back.

"What do you want then?"

"To speak with your leader."

They all looked at each other. Hella sighed and exclaimed in her creepy voice.

"Mortals! You heard your Queen! Give us your leader!"

Almost immediately, at Ward's surprise, awe and real fright, the soldiers ran to find their superior. It was kind of thrilling for Torunn to see all of these men running under her command. Well, mostly Hella's but since they worked together…

She understood what would it be to be Queen, to know people saw her as she really was. Powerful. She was there. On top of her world. Maybe not loved, she had given on that a long time ago. But feared. It was exciting. They had never seen her like that. They would be surprised, of course. They had never payed attention to what she became. It was time they saw who she could be. A ruthless, powerful Queen. With an army ready to die for her. With hundreds of men at her feet, ready to satisfy her every desire. To care about her. To be there every time she wanted. She smiled.

She had tried too long to be perfect. She never would be. But she didn't care anymore. She wanted power. And attention. And she would have both of them. She would do anything it took.

"Where is your leader?" She roared, tired of waiting. "Do I have to make an exemple to make it faster?!"

A couple of soldiers came back, positively frightened to death, dragging a really pale-looking high ranking officer.

"What can I do for you, Ma'am?" He asked, in a contemptible squeak.

"Ma'am? Did I understand well? Ma'am?" Torunn barked. "Mortal, you will learn quickly to respect me as who I really am! I am your Queen!"

"My… My Queen…" The man squeaked.

"Much better…" She said, regaining her nerves. "Now. What can you do for me… What does a Queen have?"

"A… a crown?"

She laughed, making the officer swallow. "I don't need those petty shallow things. Every kingdom has its army. I need an army. And you would give me that."

"But…"

"Did I hear a but?" She roared.

She snaped her fingers and, in a flash, Hella had the officer hanging from her long pale hands, nails diving into his neck. The man cried out at the pain.

Torunn turned to the soldiers who were all standing there, petrified, looking at the scene with wide terrified eyes.

"I shall make an exemple. Anyone who will ever dare to confront me will end up dead."

There was a sickening crack and the officer fell from Hella's claws. They all nodded silently, sweating.

"Now. Hail your true Queen!"

The petty chant didn't echo as loud as she wanted it to be. "Hail your Queen!" She repeated a couple of times before obtaining the praise she wanted. She had her army.

* * *

Skye was mumbling furiously at her computer. The image of the ones responsible of Ward's escape was definitely too blurred. She couldn't discern a single feature of the hooded woman's face. The other was highly recognizable, Mary Porter, secretary of the Fridge's director. They had brought her in, to interrogate her. But the poor woman didn't know anything. She seemed innocent. And they were witnesses. She was partying for her 26th birthday when she presumably had helped Ward escape. It was a real baffling problem. And it made her crazy. *

"Are you going to work, you stupid machine?!" She cried out in frustration.

"Easy, Skye!"

She turned around to see Coulson leaning against the threshold of her bunk, smiling.

"But that's just so frustrating!"

"Did you find something?"

"I have one image. But it's blurred, and I can't suceed to find a good image of the hooded woman."

"So we have to start from scratch?"

"Yeah… The only thing we have is the poor description provided by that man you interrogated…"

They stayed in silence for a moment. Skye spoke first. She had been dying to ask him that question.

"How can you not hate Ward for what he did?"

Coulson took a deep breath. That was a tough question. He had to be careful with his answer. He didn't want to hurt her more than she already was. The betryal of Ward had deeply affected her feelings. For a while, she had been blinded by hatred and revenge. She had become reckless. She took every occasion to put herself in danger, in a way that had almost cause heart attacks to the rest of the team. She was ruthless and punched everyone who came into her way. Scary.

"Well… I don't hate him." He said. "But that doesn't mean I trust him." He added quickly before getting glares from her.

"He betrayed us. He followed Garrett over us. We gave him a home. I gave him my love. And he stomped on both of them. I hate him."

No, she didn't. That's what Coulson thought. He thought she hoped her feelings towards Ward were hatred. He thought she prayed to stop feeling that way when she heard his name. He knew it. He knew she still loved him, deep down. But even the shell she had built around herself had cracks, even her beloved hatred had flows.

"What are you thinking of, AC?" She asked suddenly, interrupting his thoughts. Busted.

"I was thinking of Fitz. He doesn't want revenge as much as you or May do."

"That's something I don't understand, he almost died by Ward's fault!"

"I think he's…"

A loud noise resounded in the Bus. Something big had hit the cabin. They both looked up at the ceiling with a frown.

"What is going on?"

Coulson rook off to the cockpit where May was mumbling. He took a night-night gun, just in case and ran to the cell. The pilot had opened the trap in the roof to let the intruders in, if intruders it was. The door opened slowly. Screams of anger came to his ears.

"Why did you have to FLY on the aircraft?! Couldn't we just wait for them to come back to the ground?! Sometimes I wonder if you're doing it on purpose or if it's just pure stupidity!"

* * *

**Who flew on the aircraft? **

**What is the link between Torunn, Thor and Sif? **

**Try to guess! **

**Until next time!**


	5. The Dark Side

**Hi! **

**So, today/tonight, a new chapter which I hope you will enjoy!**

**Thanks to all of those who support me!**

* * *

"Not every Asgardian is a freakin' God of Thunder!"

The tall woman yelled. Her brown eyes were glaring daggers at the god at her side.

"Don't tell me you are afraid of heights, Sif, you would disappoint me."

"Haven't I disappointed you already?"

She muttered, a deep hurt look on her crestfallen face.

Coulson was patiently waiting for the two Asgardiands to stop fighting and acknowledge his appearance in the room. Neither of them seemed to have changed during the time he hadn't seen them. Their armors shimered in the darkness of the interrogation room. A very freaked-out and armed-to-the-teeth Skye peered through the open door. When she saw the two gods standing there, her jaw dropped to the ground.

"Oh my God… Is that… the Thor?"

She asked shyly, her face expressing the strangest mix between awe, suspicion, worry and surprise. Sif gave a quick look towards her. The girl had changed.

"Seems like it is…"

Coulson sighed. Of course, he was glad to see Thor and Sif again, but their presence on Earth meant troubles. Big troubles.

At his side, the girl was still shocked. He chuckled a bit before wispering to her.

"Stop drooling, Skye…"

"Sorry."

She mumbled sheepishly, gathering back her wits.

The Asgardians finally turned their attention towards the two agents patiently waiting for them to realize they were here.

Sif nodded to Coulson and smiled to Skye. She recognized in the depth of the girl's eyes a scar she knew too well. The kind of scar she had plenty of. Betrayal, anger, heartbreak, hatred znd love. A good dose of love. All the things the warrior had felt, and still did.

"Why those weapons aimed at us, Son of Coulson? Are we considered enemies of Midgard?"

"Not at all. That's just precaution. Since you didn't exactly warned us of your arrival…"

Sif glared at Thor in a way that clearly shown coming on Midgard as quickly was not her idea.

"We were caught by the time." The god explained. "We are here hunting for dangerous criminals. Murderers."

Coulson frowned.

"More dangerous than Lorelei?"

"Way more. They crave power and death. and they won't stop until they have all they want. This entire realm. And then the Universe. And they have means."

"The Nine Realms? Whole?"

Skye and Coulson were horrified. That was bigger than they thought could happen. But why them? Oh wait… They were the only agency with that kinf of intelligence.

"They already have one of them, Helheim. If we don't stop them, they will soon own Midgard. Take the others. And finish with Asgard."

"Why are you asking us help?"

"Because we don't know exactly where they are. And you have the ressources to."

"And will we find them? I mean they are Asgardians. They can hide quite well."

Sif nodded. That was exactly the problem. But they knew one of the two criminals too well not to predict what she would do.

"One of them will make a mistake. She's young, dauntless, craves power and attention. She wants people to hail her as their queen. Her pride, her ego, will push her to drop the act. She will reveal herself."

"How do you know that?"

Skye asked. She was surprised they knew the criminal they were chasing so well. They could even predict her steps. In a way that was almost suspicious.

"Because she's our daughter."

Thor answered. Skye's eyes widened and her jaw finished on the floor again.

* * *

Her hands stroked her blade slowly, cleaning it, polishing the shining metal. She found solace in that gesture, how her own mind would bend to her will, with enough focus not to wound herself. She knew she had to look like a psychopath when she did that, smile on. But she didn't care. Peace was good. She was alone but not lonely in that room with other persons to whom she could talk to if she wanted to. She was in her own bubble, but with others.

She could feel how the eyes of the mortal they had rescued never left her. He was constantly on his guard. That was good. One never knew what could happen. He had stopped asking about his beloved a while ago, when he had suddenly been too close with the sharp end of Torunn's sword. She liked him. He was honest and full of ressources.

"You have been cleaning your sword for... an hour at least. Why?"

"To forget people like you who are annoying me."

She growled. He tensed and narrowed his eyes at her. And then she did something he wasn't expecting. She laughed. He frowned. What the Hell was happening? Right now, she didn't look at all like the cold-blooded killer he had seen earlier. He had been scared to death. And this time not by Hella. By the anger, the hatred, and the craving, and the ecstasy he had seen on her face when they had hailed her.

But now, she was a young woman laughing out loud right into his face. Young. Carefree. Relaxed.

"You want to know why? Because it allows me not to think. I like being in control."

"I've seen that."

"Yeah… I like people to know me."

"Even if it's a monster they see?"

"I don't care what they see. At least, they see."

"Right… Why do you want attention that much?"

She sighed and sat down. For a while, she kept silent, watching her surroundings with little to no interest at all.

"Well… My parents never really paid attention to me when I was younger. They still don't. I learned all I know thanks to my grandmother. And thanks to the battlefield. Yeah… My grandmother and the battlefield. The real architects of what I've become."

He looked at her. She wasn't the one he thought she was. There was that broken pat of her he had never really seen before. That was interesting. He learned more things every day about her. And except for that psycho power-angry side, he really liked what he learned.

* * *

"May?"

The woman turned around. Skye was standing there. She smiled at her.

"What do you want Skye?"

"I need to ask you something…"

"Talk."

The girl sighed. She didn't felt right talking to May about that. It was extremely personal. She had thought about that for a long, long time. It had kept her from sleeping well. It had kept her from behaving in a normal way. For months. For months, their faces had been swaped in her sleep. In her nightmares. They were there, both of them. And since she coudn't remember one's face, the other had became his. It was awfully disarming. And she hated it.

"I… I have problems."

"With what?"

She took a deep breath.

"I always had dreams about my father. You know how sometimes your subconscious makes you remember things or persons you never knew. For years, he had been getting away from me, and I would scream for him to come back until I wake up, almost every night. Then, I met the team. I had a family again, so I stopped to dreamed about the one I had lost. I thought my nightmares were gone for good. But I was wrong…"

May looked at her with her piercing gaze. What was happening with the girl? She had clearly seen the restless look of her protegee these past days, and was starting to worry about it.

"What made them reappear?"

"I think… Ward's betrayal."

May immediately tensed at the name. She hated this man so much. He had destroyed his own team, almost killed Fitz and broken Skye's heart.

"I know it sounds crazy but… He has taken my father's place."

"You're saying you dream about Ward?"

Skye sighed. It was really weird to say that, but it was true. She now saw Ward reaching for her in the dark, trying desperatly to escape the pitch black hole he was sucked into. Around him were dancing the strange signs Garrett had carved into walls, the one she thought she knew. He called her name, crying out for help, begging her to do something, but she couldn't move. An invisible force kept her still, to watch him disappear, even if she was screaming and sobbing and struggling. His hand was swallowed by the darkness, and she fell to her knees, freed only after his death.

And she eventually woke up. It was when she was shaking and crying, tangled in her sweat-drenched sheets that she wondered if something was wrong with her. The answer was without doubt yes. Something was wrong with her. She was not supposed to dream about the one she hated so much. Not that way. Not in any way imaginable.

"And there are the signs Garrett was carving, you know… I don't understand, May. What is happening to me?"

The woman could see how much Sky missed the man she had fell in love with, even after all he had done. She wasn't a psychiatrist in any way, but she could feel the hatred was just a cover. And for the symbols… Well, she could start worrying right now.

"I think… I'm not a specialist but… You miss him, Skye."

"How can I?! I mean, I hate him so much!"

"Maybe a little too much…"

May mumbled. The girl frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Go see someone with actual qualifications, ok?"

"Right… Thanks."

She nodded and waited for the girl to walk away. She had to be sure of something. If what she dreaded whas actually happening, then she could worry. But she had to be sure. She followed at a distance the girl, made sure she was back to the living room before opening Skye's bunk.

She sneaked inside, and posed after closing the panel behind her. The room was quite organized, and she knew the answer to her questions were probably in the pile of papers on the little desk. She started to browse through them.

It wasn't the first time Skye talked about strange, regular dreams. May knew they were one of the first symptoms Coulson had shown after the GH325 injection, a few of years ago. What if it was happening to Skye too? What if it worked faster on her, due to her mysterious origins?

The woman abandonned her researches after checking all the paper at least twice. She was reassured. Skye wasn't affected. Yet. But it was still reassuring. Maybe her dreams were just bad dreams after all. She turned her head up, wanting to relax her neck, which was a bit stiff from the extreme tension she had gone through.

But it didn't change a thing. It even made it worse. Because the dark ceiling of the room was covered in luminescent writing. Symbols. The one Coulson wrote too. Her heart missed a bit. Skye was affected.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Don't hesitate to tell me what you think will happen next!**

**The Queen of Heart**


	6. Merciless

**Hi, everyone!**

**Have a nice chapter! **

**Today more about the dark side of the Force (watched Star Wars two days ago, I'm not back from it yet.)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The young soldier bursted into one of the conference rooms, where the queen, the scary one and the man who stayed silent were. He had heard the others talking about fleeing, and had felt compelled to report it. He didn't want his buddies to die. Because it was exactly what was going to happen if they decided to go away and get caught.

The heads of the three of them turned towards him. He was greeted by a questionning stare from the queen. He saluted, showing his respects. The two women scared the hell out of him. He felt that one wrong ste was enough to send him to his death.

"Why are you here, soldier?"

The queen asked with her usual cold and commanding tone. There was that charisma about her, that undeniable autority that made almost everyone comply.

"I heard men talking about leaving, my Queen."

Torunn frowned. She couldn't tolerate that kind of behavior in her army. She couldn't tolerate even a thought about rebellion.

"Is that so? Where are they?"

Ward looked at her, with a frown. He was suddenly quite afraid for the rebels' heath. He had seen once or twice how Torunn despised when people tried to step over the boundaries she had established.

"In the yard."

The young woman sighed. She would have to draw blood. It was the only way.

"Good."

Hella muttered something to the girl's eat and the latter took off towards to the yard, Ward and the soldier following. They both dreaded the outcome of the confrontation. They had seen that sparkle of anger in her eyes after Hella's word. They knew it meant troubles. And the presence of the sword at her hip didn't reassure them at all.

The door opened suddenly, making half of the men jump in surprise. They saw the blonde, eyes glaring, exit the building.

"What did I just hear?"

Her voice snapped in the air, making every single person tense. The quiet anger they had discerned back in the building had grown into a burning fury, a scalding hot dander wrapped around every single word she said.

"Some of you had the ludicrous fallacy of leaving my command?"

Silence reigned in the yard.

"Then, you shabby cowards who prefer act in the dark rather than in the light. Step forward."

Five of the whole squad followed her order and stepped out of the group. One of them was braver than the others, holding his head high, clearly challenging her.

"We are not cowards. This, is the army of the United States of America, not the one of an auto-proclamed tyran as yourself!"

She drew her sword, the shining blade reflecting the dazzling sun. This man, who dared speak up to her, was without doubt the leader of the rebellion. The one she had to kill, or convince. The one who needed to understand she wasn't going to let anyone take other her authority.

"I shall be merciful. You'll be free to leave. But only if you beat me in combat. Only then, I will admit you are not cowards. You have the choice. Refuse to fight, and you'll be granted life. Fight, and the outcome is up to your fighting skills. Now. Who wants to be first?"

Swallowing, three of the men went back into the group. They didn't want to die. Even to get away from that psycho.

"I'll go first!"

Torunn's eyes narrowed at the leader of the so-called rebels. He was taller than her, but not a lot. He was muscular and had a little intelligence. He was also quite unafraid of death. Good. It would make it a lot easier for her.

"Now, is that bravery or just some good dose of stupidity?"

"You have a high opinion of your fighting skills, young girl."

Ward was watching the whole scene with horror. This masquerad was cruel and useless to him. It was just an act of unnecessary brutality. He understood the need to show what became of those daring to confront her. But there they had to choose between death by her hand, or denying what they were fighting for, their freedom.

He could see how the girl was psychotic, full of rage of anger hardly contained in her small body. She was a constant threat to anyone in her vicinity, friend or foe. Nobody ever knew what she was thinking, how she would react.

She threw him her overcoat. He took the opportunity to look into her eyes. He saw determination but also regrets. One thing he wasn't prepared to see.

At her signal, they both rushed into combat. Her sword hissed when it came in contact with the air. Torunn was dancing around the man, her armor never enabling her to do whatever she wanted with her body. It was a dance of death, they could all see it, but they were hypnotized by it.

The soldier tried his hardest, he never touched her. It was at that exact moment that they all realized he hadn't have any chances. Ever. She was good. Really good. And she knew it. He was going to die.

He was now turning his back to her, trying to gain his breath back. It was the end. They all knew it now. They both dreaded the blood. The death. The scream of pain and fright that was coming.

He screamed. She stayed cold. The blade slashed into the flesh of his neck. There were blood. They all looked away. Even her.

"Now. Who wants to gain his freedom?"

There wasn't the previous arrogance in her words. Nobody stepped forward. The one who was ready to challenge her only a while ago went with the group. She nodded.

"Good."

And stepped inside of the building again. Ward and the others followed her. He wanted to talk with her. About what they were planning. He needed to talk with her. Because after what he had seen, he knew their lifes were in danger.

* * *

Sif sighed. The plane was so different than Asgard's aircrafts. Everything was different there. On Midgard, the best places in society weren't occupied by warriors. The wealthier weren't fighters, killers… They were doctors, lawyers. It was good in a way. Women were in more equal with men.

She looked around her. She wasn't comfortable with staying for some time there… She felt like she was intruding. What had she done to end up there?

Oh wait… She had fallen in love with her best friend, gotten drunk, slept with him and finished pregnant. And she had had that marvelous idea of letting the girl alone, as if she had never existed. So now, she was there, on Midgard, chasing after her own daughter, who had turned into a power-angry murderer. Welcome to her life!

"Sif?"

She turned her head. May was arriving. The two women were quite alike, and liked each other well. Two warriors, broken up by life.

"Yeah?"

"You said, last time we saw each other, you knew about Kree?"

Sif nodded. Why was the fighter concerned with Kree problems?

"I've seen them. What do you want to know?"

"Do you know their language? I mean, can you translate it?"

May was conscious this was one of their last chances. She needed to understand what was happening to Coulson, but also to Skye. She needed to know if it was going to end well or not. She was afraid. That was one thing she wouldn't admit at all, never. But to herself, she could say it. She was afraid of the future. Between the hunt for Ward and the two Asgardians, that side-effect of the GH-325 and all… She was going to die out of stress. So now, she prayed for Sif to have the answers to her questions.

"I… I don't know a lot of words…"

"I'm afraid that… Skye and Coulson have problems. They are carving Kree language, or writing it."

"When did it started?"

"They… they were both injected with a serum called GH-325. To save them from death."

"Where did it come from?"

"From an alien body. Kree."

Sif looked at her. That was it. Kree had genetic particularities that pushed them to constantly try to continue the species, even if they couldn't procreate. She was afraid of what it meant for the two members of the team.

* * *

"Torunn."

The girl turned around to face Ward. He was standing there, looking at her. He had finally taking the decision to come talk to her. His hope was her sparing Skye and the team during the battle coming. He hoped the little bit of humanity he thought he had seen was enough for her to grant them life.

"Yes, Grant?"

"I want to ask you something."

"Ask."

He took a deep breath.

"Well… I'm asking you to spare the girl I love. I know you are preparing an attack on SHIELD but please, please spare her. She's innocent. She's just a sweet girl."

"You are asking me to spare one of those who put you in a jail?"

"Yes. I know it seems crazy but…"

She rolled her eyes.

"And you have other persons you want me to spare? Because, make a list!"

She was clearly annoyed. What was he thinking? Was he really hoping she was going to be ok with that? He was either delusional or completely stupid.

"Actually I have one. All those on the Bus. All my team."

"So, you are basically asking me not to kill those I want to kill?"

She was starting to feel a bit of anger coming. She didn't understand why he was asking her that. Wasn't he suppose towant revenge? Some kind of payback for his months in prison? Wasn't he suppose to hate them? And now he came, with some kind of list of persons she was not suppose to kill, with among them, exactly those she was targeting!

"And you really thought I was going to say yes? Honestly?"

He looked at her. There went his hope. Nobody on his old team would be spared. Not even Skye. And if the girl was really sadistic, she would ask him to kill one of them himself. He walked away without another word.

Torunn didn't understand why, but she could feel he loved the girl. She decided to spare her. But only her. And she would find a pretext to keep her alive, as a war prisoner maybe. Or a source of information. She would let all the soldiers know they couldn't touch a hair of that girl's head. But the others… She couldn't do a thing.

After passing the message to the whole army, she decided it was time for a little battle speech. She had never done one but heard a lot of them. Now, it was her army. Her time.

"Soldiers!"

They all looked at Torunn. She was standing there, her helmet at her side, shield and sword ready for battle. Her voice was commanding, and they knew she meant something. Battle was coming.

"Our next target is the agency that is threatening us! The agency that jailed you, Grant Ward. The agency that chased your parents, Hella! They are the only obstacle between us and this world. This realm will be ours soon enough… When we would have taken S.H.I.E.L.D. down. Then, and only then, this world will hail its true Queen!"

As hypnotized by the way she talked, they all acclaimed her. She had that crazy smile that made Ward shudder. Hella was smirking too. This was her masterpiece. The sweet girl she had met on Asgard was now nothing more than an monster, a psychotic tyran. She was her little doll, shaped by Hella's will.

"Good. Now, soldiers. Take arms. And have no mercy. Let the War rage on!"

* * *

**Don't hesitate to leave reviews, it always make my day!**

**Let me know what you think of Torunn, Hella and Ward, of Sif and the little bit of May we see. **

**Until next time!**

**The Queen of Heart**


	7. Maybe

**Hi, everyone! **

**I'm happy to post that new chap. **

**No big battle yet. But some talks between Ward and Torunn... Interesting maybe? You'll see. **

**Thanks to all those who favorited, followed, reviewed... That's really important for me guys!**

**Now somebody I know in real life is gonna read it at some point, and I'm really, really stressed about it... Really. **

**Anyway... Enjoy our chap!**

* * *

The young woman walked into the room. She found her 'prisoner' there, grumbling, charging his gun quite violently. His motions were not precise, he missed the barrel a couple of times. It really didn't improve his mood. Not the slightest.

He didn't look at her when she stopped next to him, looking at him. He knew it was her. Of course. Who else wore an armor, had that way to walk that quietly with her armored combat boots. Who else had that shadow of power whenever she was?

Right now, he didn't care about the sweet side he had seen during their late talks. He didn't care about the broken girl he felt was inside, about the puppet he felt she was in cruelest's hands. She was… She was the cruelest there. She was the one condemning his love, his family to death. She was the one who had looked at him with those serious eyes and killed her. Just there in front of him. She had sentenced Skye to death. He couldn't, he just couldn't look at her in any other way. She was a monster.

"You are heartless."

One blow to the chest.

It hurted more than it should have. Of course. She had started to think he understood her. She had started to think he saw her as more than that. As a friend.

It hurted more than it should have. She had hear it from numerous others. She had heard it from her fellow warriors on the battlefield. From her uncle. From her cousin. The two later times had been the ones with the most effect on her. It had been that taste of power, of invincibility. It had changed the way she saw the others. The way she behaved. She had to be ruthless. Merciless. Heartless.

"Because I can't spare the ones you want me to?"

"Because you don't understand what is love."

Another blow to the chest.

How dared he say that to her? He didn't know her. He didn't know what love had done to her life. To her parents. He didn't know. He didn't have the right to say that to her. Nobody had that right but her.

"You don't know…"

"Give me your irrefutable arguments, then. It won't change what I think about you, though. But you can try."

"First, you can't judge without all the parameters."

"What don't I know? Go, hit me with another whiny story about your past…"

She bit her lip to keep herself from replying more violently than she would like to.

"I won't. What you don't know is... That I gave orders to spare the girl."

His gun hit the floor. The sudden noise changed the atmosphere of the room. And basically everything else.

"What?"

His incredulous eyes met her serious ones. What had she done? What had made her change her mind? He felt kind of ridiculous after his former judgements on her. Maybe she wasn't that bad. Maybe…

"The soldiers know they have to spare the youngest of the female warriors they will meet. I count on you to tell us which one she is. It woud feel bad if we killed her by mistake."

"Why are you doing that?"

"Because… she might be interesting for us to keep alive. She's specialized in Midgardian technology, right?"

He couldn't think right. But one thing was important. She remembered. She remembered what he had told her. Until then, he thought that she had only listened to him because she was bored of her own misery. But no. Now, he saw that she had learned things form their talks. For the late hours they had spent, when neither could sleep. He didn't know what dreams haunted her but they seemed tenacious. Maybe like his. Maybe they weren't that different.

He had killed too. He had betrayed too. He had been heartless too. He was haunted by tenacious dreams too. He was broken by his past too.

Maybe. Maybe she wasn't that different.

He remembered too. He remembered her stories. The infinite sadness and loneliness pervading every memory of her childhood. The darkness of her past. The only light being her grandmother. He had seen that in her. He had seen the scared child, lost in silence. That's why he had thought she wasn't really bad.

Because maybe she wasn't. Maybe.

"And because I know you love her."

"Thanks."

* * *

"Come on, Skye!"

May urged the girl. They were training in the gym of the Playground. Well, May was training Skye. Who was starting to be breathless and to feel her heart beating in her head. Come on, Skye. She exhorted herself to fight, to continue even if she was exhausted. Even if she couldn't bear it anymore.

"Left arm, higher."

That was what he used to say. Ward. He always said that when they were training together. Left arm higher. She couldn't continue today. She always get discouraged at the same moment. When she started to feel anger rising. When she was exhausted. When she lowered her guard. When May told her these three words. When she lost her temper.

"I can't."

She stopped fighting. The woman sighed and looked at her. May was worried for the girl. The change was getting bigger and bigger. And the GH-325 seemed to have a role in that.

"Always at the same time, Skye."

"I know."

Her hands were starting to shake. It wasn't normal. She wasn't supposed to get used to it. She wasn't supposed to see that as just the sign she needed to carve. But it was true. It was the sign she needed to carve. To carve the symbols she saw every day on her ceiling. The symbols dancing behind her eyelids during her sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes.

It was getting worst and worst. The dreams, the carving, the hopelessness. The effects on her body, on her mind were too important. She had to tell someone. But she couldn't. She dreaded the aftermath of it all. The others never allowing to do a thing because of what was happening to her. She wasn't prepared to loose her freedom.

"Are you alright?"

May was frowning, eyes fixed at the shaky hands of the girl. Something was wrong with her.

"Oh… Yeah, yeah…"

"You are sure?"

"Listen, May. Thank you for worrying, but everything's alright, ok? I don't need you to look over me like I'm 5."

Skye stormed out of the gym, mumbling. She was getting angry easily these days. She was always on the edge, always about to explode. She ran into Tripp as she was making her way to her room. He caught her by the arm. It took all her self-control not to fight her way out his grip.

"What?"

"We found them."

Her eyes widened. They had found them. They had found Ward. She knew what it meant. It meant she would have to fight against him. Maybe bring him in. Be near him again. See him. After all this time.

"How?"

"Anonymous call. They are at an army base. Preparing for battle. Against us."

* * *

"You would like them."

"Who?"

She looked up at him. Everything was going soldiers were almost all ready, the arms were numerous and she could feel the call of battle in the rush of the men. She liked that. The call of blood, the battlefield screaming for her to join. She had always been fighting, all her life. She liked the adrenalin, the danger, the power… The control. Everything she loved in that made her an excellent warrior. But she was way too stubborn to follow commands. She was a freelancer.

"The team. Skye. And the others…"

"You don't often talk about them."

She wanted to know them. She felt like she had to ask.

"They are all so different… Skye is always running all over the place, always around electronics… Always… So tough on the outside, and sweet, caring on the inside…"

"That's the girl you love. You would made a great couple."

"Thanks…"

He laughed. But his laugh wasn't happy. Not at all. It was sad, melancholic maybe.

"There are Coulson, the leader. He is like the father of the team. Always checking out after us. And we worry for him. May… The badass fighter. You'll like her. She's right, extremely skilled. She never lets anything go. She is tough as nail."

"and then?"

"There is Simmons. She's…"

"Wait, Simmons is a girl?"

"Yeah. Her name's Jemma. But we call her Simmons. We do that a lot. You are the only one to call me Grant. The others call me Ward."

"That's strange…"

She frowned. She didn't understand that habit of Midgardians… Nobody ever call her Thorsdottir. Nobody did that on Asgard.

"She's… Well, she's our doctor… She's into biology. Alien or not. Always blaming herself. But I think she has… something else in her than what we see."

"Is there someone else?"

"And the last one is Fitz. He is… He is geeky, smart and brave. He would… He would accompagny me on a mission, even if he has no fighting skill at all. He is… I don't really know him. I think there is a lot hidden from view. He's kinda secretive. Same than Simmons.

"What's his name?"

"Leo. He would like your accent."

"Which accent?"

She was thinking about what he had just said. And she hated him right now. Because it made her want to spare them all. But she couldn't do that.

"When you talk. It's kinda British. But with a little thing else."

"If you say so."

She shrugged. When he talked about them, she saw how much he lovec his team. How much he regretted all he had done. It was sad to hear him talking about that.

"I'm sorry…"

It was barely a whisper, but he heard it anyway. He looked up at her, at the hand which had just landed on his shoulder.

"What I say is not important but… I'm truly sorry."

"It's nothing. Tell me about your family…."

She sighed, looked away. Her family. Tough topic.

"Oh… My family… I… My father is a prince. He is know in all the realms. He is… brave maybe. I would say… He is a coward. He couldn't face me. He couldn't face the fact that he had a daughter. That I was there. He just went away. Away from me. And to Midgard and this… girl he met. Jane Foster."

"I heard about her... "

"She… She stole my father."

Ward felt this was a sensitive topic. He remembered she often talk about another person from her family.

"You said you grand-mother was important…"

Of course she was. Frigga had raised her, loved her. She had taught her how to fight. She had been there when nobody else was. Torunn held her close to her heart.

"She was there. That's all I need to say. My mom left me with her too, jumping into the battle. Running away. She gave me a name, held me and went away. She came to see me sometimes. But the awkwardness…"

"You are not lucky."

"Oh yeah… Love is a weakness. That's what I learned. But maybe. Maybe someday…"

"Maybe someday… You'll find the one…"

She had a little sad laugh.

"Yeah. Maybe. Until then… I think it's time for us to fight."

* * *

**Now guys... Leave some reviews if you like, tell me what you thought of it. **

**What you think about the beginning of friendship between Ward and Torunn, what is happening to Skye... Etc etc... **

**Until next time! **

**The Queen of Heart.**


	8. Honor thy Choices

**Hello everyone!**

**I'm feeling quite bad not having updated yet, but hey, I had homeworks and I was incredibily lazy, I have to admit.**

**Anyway, this is the new chapter, I hope you'll all like it. Some hints of particular ships, your job is to tell me which ones.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It started slowly. The black-dressed men infiltrated the base, Ward guiding them. They sneaked into every corridor, every room. They couldn't access the vaults but they weren't their primary targets. So they kept to the plan. Find the agents. Kill the agents. Take control.

And it was the actual problem. Because there were no agents to find, or kill. No weapons. It was just some deserted base. Ward felt partly relieved. That meant Skye was not in harm's way. He sighed and reunited his men. It was time to go to Coulson's office and maybe find some intel to bring back. He had the feeling that Torunn wouldn't be extremely pleased if they came back without a single thing to report.

The door opened. Ward was surprised. No Captain America action figures on the shelves. There was just that pile of files on the corner of the desk. He sighed and started searching thorugh the papers for interesting stuff. Nothing at all.

"You really thought we were going to leave you top-secret documents, Ward?"

He jumped in surprise, drawing his gun and aiming in the direction of the voice. There was nohting else there than a huge electronic computer-ish panel. And on the panel, there was Simmons. Watching him with a contemptuous and angry expression.

"Simmons..."

"You are gonna listen what I'm going to say. Go back to your sweet little mistresses. And don't come back. You can tell them that."

She was still talking but Ward heard gunshots. He went towards the noise because it was his role. Protecting his men.

It had started slowly. But it was just an impression. After the fake feeling of emptiness of the base, the soldiers had loosen their attention and they had been taken by agents had fallen from the ceiling and appeared from rooms they were sure had already been checked and found empty. They weren't on their guards then, and the battle had started off from that trap. But they had to admit it was well-managed.

The team, other agents were there. They were fighting against Ward's men and they were clearly winning. He could see how Skye was never really touched, how they took care of respecting Torunn's command.

He was partly hidden and could watch what was happening. He would only intervene if one of the men were in danger. He couldn't let Skye see him as a killer again. She had changed so much during the past months. She fought, shot, kicked and punched with precision and fluidity. She turned and her hair moved too. When the brown locks fell down, he saw her eyes. Venomously glaring at him.

He wanted to hug her, to kiss her, to say he was sorry. But he couldn't. He had to fight. They were on the wrong side again. The door burst open, he knew it was the two Asgardians. The door burst open and Skye attacked him.

Torunn stepped into the room. She immediately was tackled by a tall Asian woman. She didn't have the time to draw her sword so she fought the old-fashioned way: kicks and punchs. She quickly found out who her opponent was. May. The skilled fighter. She could find the flaws in her armor and Torunn was protecting her neck, where the woman was aiming.

She could hear her parents yelling at each other in between striking their opponents. They were already a few deaths to count, and Thor was trying, with the help of Coulson, to stop Hella from killing the remaining ones.

She saw her friend hit her father and cracked a little smirk, one second of inattention during which May decided to strike. Her fist stroke the Asgardian square at her jaw. Her head was sent back violently, her lower lip split, drawing some blood.

She immediately reacted, striking back. Her kick sent May flying back. Her hand found her neck. The woman struggled all she could against her grip, but the girl, being a goddess, was too strong. At the moment the victim started to suffocate, the hold loosened a little, allowing oxygen to rush into her lungs.

"Now, now. Agent May… Let's see… If they really know who you are…"

The two icy irises of the girl bore into her and darkened. Her hair straightened, becoming black. She was now a middle-heighted Asian woman, wearing a SHIELD field outfit. A perfect double of Melinda May. Even her voice was the same. She broke into a smirk.

"I got her! Guys!"

She shouted to the others. The real May was trying to escape the Asgardian, punching, scraping with her nails.

"Don't listen to her!"

Coulson looked at the two similar women. One of them was May, but which one? He knew the woman, since a long time.

"Coulson, she's trying to fool you, don't listen to her!"

Air was starting to lack again in her body, but she shouted and clawed and struggled with all her might. They were not going to have her.

"I need help now!"

And Coulson knew. May would never ask for help. May would fight until death, but she would never ever ask for help. She was just so proud, and so selfless too, ready to die for her friends, for her team.

"Sif. Take care of your daughter. I'm not fond of shapeshifters."

The warrior nodded and broke the grasp her daughter had on May. The girl morphed back into her original form. Her face was so angry, almost animalisticly smirking, with all that hatred and rage and violence.

"Oh Mother."

She hissed, drawing her sword, kicking one of the men trying to kill

Ward in one swift and fast motion.

"Stand down, little girl."

"Never!"

And the two swords hit, the metallic sound resounding among the other noises of fight.

Ward already knew this battle was going to be epic. He had never thought, in any of the possible scenarii he had imagined when he couldn't sleep, he would have to face Skye. He hadn't imagined once her hands would be punching him, her body would be so aggressive towards his. He knew she hated him and oh yeah he hated himself so much. But he hadn't pictured her fighting like that. She didn't hesitate, she wasn't the same anymore.

"Ready to admit your failure, Ward?"

She hissed. Tripp was touched by one of Torunn's blows and went flying for a couple of meters.

"Skye..."

"Don't try."

He was about to open his mouth -he couldn't just not try- to reply when he heard Hella screaming at some soldiers to 'Take care of the girl!'. And he saw the couple of pairs of eyes turning to Skye. And one, closer than the others. It was the young man, the one so afraid of death. He had a gun. It was aimed right to Skye's head.

Ward didn't hesitate. He didn't care if she saw him as a killer. The man was threatening her. He had to die.

Grant Ward was not a former Level 7 agent of SHIELD for nothing. He was an expert marksman. His target never saw it coming. One second he was about to pull the trigger, the next he was dead, a bullet right through his temple.

She felt something hitting her from behind, and she was violently pushed forward. Skye was starting to realize what had happened. It was true her heart had stopped when she had seen Ward aiming his gun at her. That was it, he was finally showing his real face. The cold-blooded killer. He was going to shoot her, right there. He had never loved her. It was just an act, everything was just an act. It hurt more than it should have. Even more than when she had learned he was Hydra. She didn't know it was even possible.

But then , he had pulled the trigger and she hadn't died. She had just fallen forward. Right into his arms. And now, she was realizing he was hugging her, and that it felt nice. She couldn't let herself feel that way. He had betrayed her, she couldn't just fall head over heels for him again, the first time she saw him. She pushed him away violently, but it was her feelings she wanted to push away, and she felt like something was missing after all.

"Don't touch me."

She hissed. He looked at her, and when he did that, she saw in his gaze all the regrets, all the things he wanted, needed, to say but couldn't. They were on the wrong side of the battlefield. Again.

Leo knew he was in danger, coming so close to where everyone was fighting. But he didn't care what Jemma was saying anymore. She just couldn't understand. She was so glad, in her little bubble of happiness, with Tripp… So, he was hidden behind a wall, observing the fights. And particularly one. The one between Sif and the girl he had heard was her daughter. It was… kind of beautiful.

Deadly beautiful. The girl was so dangerous, with her shiny sword, her determined look. He heard the blade emitting that whizzling sound when it slashed through the air. He knew it was no training exercise like the ones he had seen May and Skye doing. It was a perilous dance, with those pointy weapons, so acurate when it came to wounding.

She had blood seeping on her chin, the dry remains of the fluid that had fallen from her lip earlier. She was getting sweaty because of the length of the fight, the moves her mother forced her to execute to avoid being harmed. The goddess had already succeeded to cut her arms a couple of times, and Torunn felt a wound just below her ribs.

"Daughter. Now it's time for you to give up."

"Like you gave up on me? I always honor my choices, and that is not something one would call a family trait."

She attacked again. Sif warded the blow off and hit the girl to her thigh. A little groan of pain escaped Torunn's lips. She couldn't let her mother take all credit from her. She ducked at some point, the motion allowing her to take a knife from her boot. Still in that crouched position, she aimed for her opponent's knee. She wanted to wound her badly enough to give herself the possibility of winning this fight.

And then, she saw him. The man, hidden behind a wall, watching her. She was sure he was watching her in particular, not the whole scene. Who was he? She quickly remembered what Ward had told her about his team. He was the scientist, the geeky one. Geeky, but smart and brave. Was it bravery or stupidity from him, standing that close to a battlefield? She wanted to tell him to go away but he had that glow in his eyes, the one telling her he maybe could understand who she was. He was broken. He was just like her.

She had thought too much. The handle of her mother's sword hit the back of her head violently and everything went dark.

He saw it before hearing it. The weapong hitting her head, and the sickening sound that came just after. The girl fell to the ground, her limbs heavier. Leo stood up and walked back to the lab, where Jemma was waiting. He would go after that girl after, when the battle would be over. He was sure there was something else about her. She wasn't a killer. She wasn't the one everyone else saw.

After that episode, the battle soon finished. The last blows and bullets were exchanged and that's when Hella stood up and forced Ward to choose.

She was standing there, looking at him right in the eyes. He should have been shaking in fright but he wasn't afraid anymore. His fear had been not to see Skye again before his death and he had just seen her, and hugged her. He couldn't be afraid of Hella anymore. And the reality hit him. Torunn had never been the bad girl. It had always been Hella and her icy smirk, pulling the strings like a puppetmaster. She had done all that. She had pushed her toy's anger and rage to proportions she maybe didn't even feel.

"Ward. Your time to choose. Go with them. Or stay with me."

He knew he had no choice. Either he chose to go with SHIELD, was brought back into prison and Hella killed them all, or he went with her and saved them. The best option would have been to be with Torunn but that wasn't possible. So, he chose.

"I'm staying with you."

"Fair choice."

He saw Skye's eyes but went away. It was their last chance to flee. He took it. He wasn't afraid anymore. At least not for him. The one he worried about now was Torunn. He left her there, with the team he had once thought was his family. He knew she wasn't going to be received well.

But it would be better for her. He had to honor his choice, so he went with the killer. But he made himself a promise. He would come back. He would not let her down. It wasn't for Skye anymore, it was for Torunn. The friend he had never had.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! **

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**Until next time, **

**The Queen of Heart**


	9. A Fire that Melted Down the Iciest Fury

**Hello everyone!**

**So, I come back with a new chapter! No battle this time but still a little bit of confrontations... Well, I say a little but that's actually more like a lot. **

**Let me know what you think!**

* * *

Being conscious hurt. Her skull, her wounds, her wrists restrained behind her back by solid, metal Asgardian cuffs. Torunn opened her eyes. She was lying on some sort of bed, more like a bench, in a cell. The walls were black, except for a white-ish one. There was a light, but it wasn't enough to light up the corners of the room.

She remembered the fight with May and the fight with her mother. She remembered the man watching her, and the pain to her head. She had blacked-out. She was now prisoner. And she hated it.

She had always loved freedom above everything. She didn't want to be restrained. She hated being in jail. She wished to control every single of her motions, every single emotion. But she couldn't. She had never could.

She tried to sit, her whole body screaming in pain. She was now sitting on the mattress, trying to turn her wrists to change her position into a more comfortable one. She then saw they had stripped her of her armor, leaving her in leggings and bodice. Of course she didn't have her knife or sword anymore.

For a couple of minutes, she waited. Suddenly, the white-ish wall disappeared and guards entered the room. She tensed when they approached her and grabbed her by the arms. They dragged her, quite roughly, towards the exit and into the corridors.

She gritted her teeth, not making a sound of pain even if she wanted too. Never show your weaknesses to your enemies. They guided her into another room, as dark as the cell, but with a table and two chairs. It looked like some kind of interrogation room. The table was metal, strong and fixed to the ground. The guards made her sit roughly.

"That is no manner of treating a lady, gentlemen."

She snapped. Her comment didn't trigger anything, even an eyebrow rise. They disappeared through the door and she heard their footsteps leave. She sighed. How long was she going to stay in there?

"Lack of finesse…"

She mumbled. God, that was one hell of an uncomfortable position. She tried to tug a little on the cuffs. Increasing the pressure, she tested their resistance to the point she couldn't try harder. Definitely Asgardian metal. She knew this kind of bonds, having used them a couple of times already when it came to restraining prisoners. She knew they resisted to the strength of any god, even the most powerful's.

"Don't try to run."

The voice of her mother came to her ear. The woman was leaning against the door, watching her. How long has she been in there?

"Mother! That's one hell of a timing to suddenly care about me! Did your maternal instinct finally came back from its long-lasting vacations or is it just because I'm wreaking havoc on Father's beloved realm? And since when do you actually care about what he is thinking? I thought you hated him at least as much as you hate me!"

"First, girl, I do care."

"Twaddle. You never cared."

"Second. I don't hate you. Neither do I your father."

"Oh, sure you don't! You just highly despise both of us!"

Sif took a deep, calming breath. Torunn's words were true and hurt her deeply but she couldn't let herself explode to her daughter's face, in rage, or burst into tears like she thought she was going to do if it continued that way for a long time.

"Why are you really here, Mother? If it's not to bring me back home."

"I was sent here by the Allfather. To protect the Nine Realms of the threat of Hella Lokisdottir, with whom I heard you befriended."

"Hella is my friend indeed."

The girl believed it. She actually believed it. She believed that Hella Lokisdottir was her friend. Sif was afraid for her daughter. She thought the most horrible criminal ever was her friend. She thought the Goddess of Death could feel what an intricate emotion was friendship.

"Daughter, I think you are foolish to believe such a thing."

"Mother. Please. Don't try to explain what caring is about."

"I know about friendship."

"Of course… Do I have to remind you how your so-called 'friendship' with Father finished?"

"How dare you!"

"I dare. That's all. There is no how, no why. I just do."

Torunn wasn't even looking at her mother. Well, she couldn't look at the woman who had never been there for her for her whole childhood, and teenage. How even dare she be there and try to give her a lecture?! Did she really think here daughter was going to listen? Then, she was the foolish in the story.

"Torunn… Don't try to make it more difficult!"

"Because you think it's easy? Never seeing your parents. Growing up alone. In the dark. In the shadow of the shame you two bear because I was born. Do you really think that was easy?!"

"Listen to me…"

"No. I'm not gonna listen to anything you are going to say. Now, go away. Or I swear I'm going to get rid of those cuffs. And It won't end up pretty."

"Don't threaten me, child."

"I am not a child anymore. I'm a freakin' rabid goddess, who's most delightful thought is to send you flying into Helheim!"

Coulson had heard the yells of the two women in the cell. He had to interrogate the younger. He could have done it later, but he didn't want to loose one of the two Asgardians.

The door opened at the moment Sif was loosing her temper. She turned and glared at him.

"I come in peace, ladies."

"Coulson, now is definitely not the best of times!"

"Believe me. It is. If you'll excuse me, I have to interrogate my prisoner there."

He gestured towards Torunn. She was quite glad he was interrupting that fight they were having.

"We have family matter to discuss."

"Because now you care about family!"

Torunn rolled her eyes.

"Miss, please."

Coulson interrupted, with a look that clearly told her to shut up. He turned to Sif, and after a little debate, she agreed she could let him with Torunn and continue her confrontation later.

"Finally..."

The girl sighed when her mother left the room.

"Family trouble?"

"Yeah..."

And the interrogation started.

* * *

"What did you do, stupid mortal?! I thought that honor had some kind of meaning on that pathetic realm! I guess I was wrong!"

Hella was icy. Of that kind of cold so low it burned you. Everything, her voice, her eyes, her iron grip on him, was burning with fury.

But now he just looked at her right in the depths of her demented soul. Her world was cold and fury. His had been warmth and love, until they took it away from him.

But now he had a chance to have it back. Finally. And he wasn't gonna let it escape. So, he looked at her, and she saw why this man had always been so difficult to control. That fire. That fire that melted away even the iciest fury.

"We consider honor. Even more than you do. We may be 'inferior' species but we surely are superior in many ways. We feel. I thought this word had some kind of meaning even in the farthest realm."

He was calm. Extremely calm. Hella wanted him to rage. Rage and fear. Fear was what she craved. Rage was just a mean of control. She had done it on one of the purest Asgardian goddess possible. Why couldn't she succeed on a single mortal?

"And you, all mighty goddess you think you be, is nothing more than a living, breathing puppet of blood and tissue. Because there is no glow in you. You don't feel. You are in that perpetual state of fury, of destruction. It's like it is your natural state. You won't ever understand what it is to feel something for someone, in a romantic, friendly, or sad way. You are nothing. And you can't control me anymore. I'm not afraid of your act. I'm not afraid of a robot."

He thought about Skye and the team, but now Torunn was added to the picture. Because he missed her. He had only spent a couple of weeks with what he thought was a raging, psychopathic and spoiled brat from Asgard. He had discovered a lonely, broken, psychopathic girl from Asgard.

He knew no one on the team would believe him after all. They were right. He had betrayed them. he couldn't be trusted anymore. He knew a word from him, against or for Torunn's sake could have the most destructive effects.

"The line between bravery and recklessness is too blurred to be ignored, Grant Ward. Are you gonna step over it?"

"I'll do. With pleasure."

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. She was a predator, the goddess of Death he was going to feed from his end. But the, she released him. It was surprising. He knew something else was going to come soon enough.

"You are honorable."

She said. And then, she left. But he saw the flash of hatred in her gaze. It was not over yet.

* * *

"Are you not afraid of being alone with a psycho?"

"I ask the questions, young lady."

After asking casually for a couple of shallow things, Coulson was now getting to the topic. Torunn could feel he was on his guard, that's the reason why she had asked that question. She wanted to test him, to see if he was the man she thought he was. He could be cold, or warm, depending on the mood he wanted to give to the conversation. He had just turned icy.

"I'm freakin' 320 years old… Let me tell you I've seen worse."

"This is not the matter. Why did you make Ward escape?"

She was prepared to this one. She had prepared the perfect counter-interrogation, but she decided, in some crazy way, she had to speak the truth to SHIELD.

"We needed him."

"You are two goddesses with supernatural abilities. Why would you need him?"

There was contempt in Coulson's voice. She had heard about the betrayal. She just hadn't realize the wound had been that deep.

"Because he knew SHIELD, because he is an excellent fighter. Because he could make the call according to what he felt was right. The last reason I didn't share with Hella."

"This man betrayed us. You think his judgement is worth your trust? I shouldn't bet on that."

"But I do. Grant is a right man. He didn't make the good choices in the past but he honored them. His judgement is clouded by love, regrets, sadness and a lot of other emotions. That's exactly what I wanted. He is not the Big Bad Wolf you thought he is."

"If you think that, then he fooled you."

"I wouldn't bet on that, at the contrary."

She had a little smile.

"Why did you want to bring SHIELD down?"

"Guess what, genius? We want this realm. So we destroy the main threat for us. The authority on inter-realmic matter. You."

He stood up. He wasn't the one Grant had told her about now. She threatened his family. So he became dangerous. She felt the change in the atmosphere. She swallowed. Maybe it was time to shut her mouth a little bit more.

That's when he remarked the huge dark stain on her sleeve.

"Are you hurt?"

"That's none of your business."

"We are not going to let a prisoner wounded."

She glared at him. She could perfectly take care of herself, thank you very much. He called someone to go have a look on her. Couldn't they just let her be? They waited a few minutes in silence. She could feel Coulson watching her, but she stubbornly looked the other way. She was old enough to be left in peace.

The door opened in a not really discreet way. Her head still hurt, from the stroke she had received from her mother. She winced.

"Sorry, Sir. Jemma couldn't come, she's taking care of the others."

"Alright. I'll leave you two alone. Just don't open her cuffs."

"He's not dumb!"

Torunn grumbled. When the door was closed, she finally looked at the man who was suppose to heal her.

He had a nice smile, and nice eyes. He was nice. And brilliant. And so so alive.

"You are Fitz."

He raised an eyebrow. It wasn't even a question.

"Yeah... How do you know?"

"Grant told me about you."

* * *

**Here we are!**

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**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	10. Change

**Hi everyone!**

**Here is next chap!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The cloth of her shirt was ripped apart, to allow Fitz to have a closer look at her wound. She let out a sigh when the tug of the ripping made her jolt. It was a cut, about 5mm deep. But that wasn't what shocke him the most. It was the skin of her arm. Hundreds of thin pink lines marbled it, scars.

"Oh my God."

"What?"

And he had found a long lines of stitches, maybe 20, red and a little bit swollen. It looked quite old, maybe a couple of weeks. And it was ugly. Really ugly.

"Does that... hurt?"

"What?"

"The…. The… The stitches."

He touched it. She had a little motion of uncomfort.

"Your hands are cold."

She mumbled as an excuse.

"Who did you... let to that? That's... horrible, and it has to hurt... as hell."

She heard in his voice that he was hesitating on his words, always waiting a fraction of second more than people usually did.

"Do you think that's easy to do stitches at that point? I was twisting my head like crazy I couldn't see the whole wound!"

"Because you did that to yourself?!"

His eyes were wide open. How was it humanly possible to do stitches to yourself? It had to hurt like crazy!

"Of course I did. What do you think? In a middle of battle, nobody stops. So we take care of ourselves."

He stayed open-mouthed for a while. She looked at him and smirked.

"You lost your tongue, mortal?"

"I… Let's take care of your… your… your wound there, will see for others later, alright?"

She straightened on the chair. She didn't really trust Midgardian medecine, since this realm was so retarded. What was taking care of an injury there? At least, he knew stitches and he was kind enough not to hurt her.

Well, that was normal if he was Fitz. She now saw the differences, the flaws in Grant's description of his team. There had been time running since the last time he had seen them. She had seen an icy and dangerous Coulson. And now there was the scientist who was so broken. And she had yet to see the others. How would Skye be? Torunn was afraid that her friend wouldn't recognize his family when, and if, he came back.

"That's going to hurt a little."

"Nothing from this realm is a threat to me. I am a goddess to your people."

"Alright, goddess. But I've warned you."

And he poured some antiseptic on the wound. She jolted and a yelp escaped her lips. The sting of the liquid and the pain from her other wounds when she had moved had made her voice her pain.

"For Loki's sake, you stupid Midgardian!"

"I am not Mid… Mid… Anyway, I am Scottish!"

"Freaking. Same. Difference! That hurt!"

He smiled.

"Come on, you mighty goddess. It's nothing... compared to what you can... endure."

"Stop laughing at me."

"What's your name, mighty goddess?"

"Torunn Thorsdottir of Asgard."

"Ok, once again."

"My name is Torunn Thorsdottir."

"I can't even…. pronounce it!"

"Just call me Torunn alright? What do I call you?"

"The others call me Fitz."

"Fitz is not a name. Do you have another?"

That girl was very different than anyone he had ever seen. She was extremely proud, incredibly stubborn and quite independant. She was so… Special.

"Leo."

"Then, I'll call you Leo."

She was so determined, and confident. She spoke freely, without restrain, and he really liked that. She was not some hypocrith.

"Now, princess, where are your other…. other... wounds?"

"Wait, what did you call me?"

"I called you princess. It suits you."

She looked at him. He smiled. He was nice. He was one of the niciest persons she had ever met. The first one being Grant. But… She felt something else towards Leo than she felt towards Grant. It was different. He was different. He… He was really nice to her. And it was a change.

He took care of her, they chatted a little, but they didn't have time. She wanted to know him. She wanted to know him, because Grant didn't know a lot about him. Because she felt compelled to do so. But it was time for another round of questions from Coulson. Another trip back to the vault. They freed her from the cuffs. She massaged her wrists. The door closed.

* * *

"_Don't touch me." _

Grant Ward was punching. That's everything he could do right now. He couldn't help but remember her words, the way they hurt deep down. How could he love her that hard? How was it possible to feel so much pain, without being injured. He had known it. He had known it had changed everything. But he couldn't help but remember her words. and the way they hurt.

The bag flew when his fist collided with it. He had to forget it. By any mean. With pain, or with pleasure. He had to forget it.

_Her glaring eyes, that venom in her pupils. The way she moved to hurt him. She purposefully did, when he was trying not to harm her. It was cruel, and well-deserved. _

He shouted in rage. All he wanted was Skye looking at him like she did before it had all started. When he was there for her, her friend, her S.O. and maybe more. It was all his fault, it had always been his fault. Everything. From Thomas to Hella. From the beginning to the end. from a betrayal to another betrayal.

"_Don't try."_

Don't try to talk to me. Don't try to make me like you again. Don't try to get close to me. Don't.

That's all she meant. Don't. Life was just a succession of don'ts. Don't tell the parents I forced you to do it, because I'll say it was all you. Don't try to run away like you did in school, you'll be back anyway. Don't attach yourself. Don't move an ear, or you'll be on the last rank. Don't forget you are Hydra. Don't forget you owe me everything. Don't forget your sister. Don't touch me. Don't try.

And he couldn't stand it anymore.

He stopped punching. He started thinking. If it was going to be that way, he wouldn't bear it much longer. He had to contact her. He had to know. He couldn't care less about restrictions. He couldn't care less about beatings, about don'ts.

The night was starting to fall. It had been two days since he had left Torunn there with Skye and the others. He now saw how much he valued that crazy warrior. How much she meant to him. Because she listened, and she understood.

He walked towards one of the offices on the first floor of the main building. The yard he had to come across was deserted. It was almost scary. He had never seen a base without soldiers on. In one of the offices, he found a laptop, which password he cracked easily. He opened a mail window and took a deep breath. She would have to listen, or at least read.

* * *

_Ward… He was there, he was just there, so close. She wanted so badly to reach him and hug him. It was horrible. It was all too white, all too blinding, but he was there, just there. Her arms stretched forward, pulling on her sockets, trying to touch him. But she couldn't move anything else in her body, just her arms and her head. She saw him, he was going away. No, no, please! She couldn't let him go. She couldn't. Please…_

_She felt water on her face, tears, but she didn't feel like she was crying. It was scary. It felt like she wasn't really in her body, she could feel the tears but it wasn't her who cried. She just pleaded and struggled. _

_The floor she hadn't seen yet covered in symbols, the ones she drew. It was dark and glistening, it was moving slowly, expanding like a some sort of puddle, but it wasn't liquid. She felt she was going crazy. _

_Ward, no… Grant please, don't go. She pleaded, she cried, she shouted. Don't go away from me. Don't leave me. Please. It was crazy and sick, she felt overwhelmed with a stream of sensations. He turned his back and went away from her, she cried out for him to come back. She couldn't be alone, please, don't leave me alone. _

_You said, you were a survivor. You said it, so please survive… Please don't leave me alone. But he did. He went away. She felt her knees giving away and she fell. Her skin was now blue, it didn't strike her at first but then, she realized it wasn't normal. And her heart beat rose up again, even if she thought it wasn"t possible to be more freaked out than that. _

She woke up with a start. She was shaking, crying. Ward… How could she miss him that much? She sighed and tried to have her heart beat calm down. It was ok, it was not hapenning. It was going to be alright. She hated him. She couldn't love him, she hated him too much for that.

Her bed was humid, because of her sweaty skin. Her hands were getting less shaky every minute but she couldn't get past the sensation she had in her chest. She had been torn apart from the one she loved. It hurt.

Sitting, she decided to take a shower. But that didn't help her feel better. She kept scrubbing her arms, even after dressing up. Unconsciously, there was that fear she was actually turning blue, and that the symbols on her ceiling, and Ward going back with Hella, away from her, that it was all connected.

She sighed. The Playground was silent and there wasn't any light. It was kinda eerie in a way, gloomy. She wrapped herself in her arms. Where was she going? She had absolutely no idea about it. Her footsteps led her to the lab. There she saw she wasn't alone.

Sitting in front of his computer, headphones on and typing quite furiously, Fitz didn't hear her. She opened the door and walked towards him. When she put her hand on his shoulder, he jumped in fright, before sighing in relief when he saw it was her.

"Sorry." She whispered.

"That's nothing… I'm just… a little… jumpy after… after the attack a couple days ago."

"I understand."

The first screen, just in front of him, had a page, covered in words. She didn't look at what he had written, it was personal after all. But the second most surprised her. It was the footage of Vault D, the one where the Asgardian was detained. She was not sleeping, just like both of them. They could see the ovale of her eyes in the dark.

"Why are you watching her?"

"I… I don't know. She… she is… fascinating. Really. So…. so…. intriguing."

"But she is dangerous."

"Some would say that but… I don't really believe it."

"Her parents admitted it. I think they have a very good reason to say that."

"Sometimes, parental love isn't what it should be."

Skye couldn't understand why he was so protective of that girl. For God's sake, he had just met her! What was that thing about parental love? She realized no one on the team knew Fitz really well. Nobody knew about his past. She doubted even Simmons knew.

They stayed that way for a while, watching the girl shift on the bed.

"She had some really ugly…. sutures. When I asked her who had done that, she said she did it herself."

"What?!"

Skye looked at him. He was dead serious. She guessed he was as shocked at her when he had learned that.

"I think, when it comes to a girl, who is lonely enough to have to take care of herself that way, the advice of her parents may not be the best to take."

She didn't answer. He was right. Had Sif and Thor cared enough about their daughter to have a relevant word in that story? That was a question they all had to keep in mind now. This girl was maybe dangerous, but it was just the top of the iceberg. There was a whole lot more to discover behind her nasty facade.

She looked at the hour on the computer. _4:58 am. _She sighed. They looked at each other. They had that curious routine, meeting up in the lab at the break of day, talking a little, spending some time together in silence, and then going their way, and almost not seeing each other until the next night. It was a silent friendship, a compassionate one. One of the deepest.

"It's almost 5."

"One more day to go…"

In Skye's mail box, a little e-mail had just popped up, from an unknown adress. She wouldn't see it until she opened her laptop and checked her box, a couple of hours later.

_Skye…_

* * *

**So what do you think Ward wrote to Skye? **

**Don't forget to give me your thoughts about it!**

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	11. Deep scars

**Hi, everyone!**

**Today is the new chapter of Lost Children in the Dark! This is also a great step, 'cause we officially passed the first ten chapters! Youhou! I am so proud, 'cause I had never been this far in a story before! Well, I truly have to thank byLunaA for her help, and also for being here all the time for me!**

**You were maybe wondering what was in the mail Ward sent to Skye! The answer is today! **

**Enjoy this chapter! And don't forget to review! (it always makes my day, even if it's just a couple of words, or even an emoticon!)**

* * *

It was morning. She could feel it. The light in the cell had never faltered, never changed, through the night. But she felt it was morning, as well as she felt people were walking by her cell. She sat on her bed, stretching her arms, ready for her morning drills. It would be different without the reassuring weight of her sword at her side. But she still did it. Her wounds were still hurting, after all it couldn't heal in a night. But she felt good.

She was in the middle of her routine when she heard a door open. The wall disappeared. She kept on following her motions, bit tensed as she was, it was not the same. A woman came to her.

She was little, smaller than Torunn but she had that contemptuous air, the one that made her want to slap it off her face.

"Stand still."

The Asgardian raised a questioning eyebrow. Who was that girl? She did as ordered because she was the prisoner.

"I'm here to have a look at your wounds. Don't move."

The woman said, already rolling up Torunn's sleeve. There was no need to do that, Leo had taken care of it quite nicely.

"Leo did a great job."

"He's not a doctor. He's an engineer. He usually patches up pieces of tech. Not flesh."

That was it. She was just some bit of flesh. The woman put a strand of light brown hair back behind her ear and sighed. After checking her arm, she moved her cold hands to her side.

"Anyway, it's director's orders. Believe me I have better things to do than being there in the cage of a monster."

Torunn winced when the woman bumped into her thigh, just next to her last wound.

"Where is your last one?"

"Right thigh."

It went coldly and silently. Torunn was wondering who was that woman. She wasn't part of Grant's description. Maybe she was new.

A man entered the room at that precise moment. He smiled at the woman who let go of her cold demeanour.

"We need you here, Jemma."

"I finish up with her and I'm all yours, honey..."

She smiled. Her contact was way different. Torunn could understand a slight difference, these two were certainly lovers. But her mean attitude towards her... The girl was Jemma, Jemma Simmons. Why was she acting like that? She was supposed to be kind.

The woman went away without looking at her in the eyes. Despise her want to know the family of her friend, Torunn now wished she hadn't seen her. There were true, deep scars in all of those she had seen. She couldn't let Grant see that. He would be broken. Even more than he already was.

She sat on the bed. What was she going to do now? She was patched up, she was rested… They had given her food earlier which she had eaten. She needed to do something, but she was locked up in that cell, and it was so frustrating! She could just step around and around the space, between those walls, look at the ceiling and practise without a sword, motions of battle she knew by heart. She hated it.

She knew her parents were somewhere in that place and it made her crazy. Why were they here? They had never cared. Why now? She felt like she was about to either scream in rage or burst into tears. Or do both.

In the lab, Leo was working silently as usual. He liked silence. He didn't need to speak. He liked that. He felt almost normal. He was trying to make his right hand work normally, but it wouldn't, and that annoyed him. But he did his work the best he could, and the results were coming. He was talking more fluently, it was easier for him to understand things and the little moves he could do with his hand were a great victory in themselves. But he wasn't back yet. And he felt nobody really cared.

He heard giggles and hurried footsteps, soft sighs in between kissing noises. The door opened. He didn't have to look to know. There she was. Jemma Simmons, the one he thought was his best friend, and maybe more. There she was. There was not one day they weren't caught kissing or worst. She didn't care about him trying to patch up the broken pieces of his sanity. The only one she considered was Tripp.

"Jemma! People are trying to work!"

He heard the noises stopping, a deep sigh and her voice almost aggressively resounded in the lab.

"No need to shout Leo! Try to have some fun some time. Soon. 'Cause nobody can stand your brooding mood anymore!"

And he heard them walking away. Why? What had changed? He couldn't remember when and how they had become so angry at each other. He hit the table in frustration.

"You look upset, clever man."

He turned around and saw that Sif was looking at him with a smile. He nodded. That was for the silence and tranquility he appreciated a few minutes ago. The woman never seemed to change. She always had that armor, her sword at her hip. She always was looking fierce and dangerous. It was kind of strange. He wondered if she wanted to see Torunn. He wondered if she really hated her daughter.

"How is she?"

He frowned. Why was she asking him? Jemma had just come back from checking her. He looked up to the computer still on from the night. The girl was pacing around in circles, looking stressed out.

"I guess she's good."

"She is quite the energetic girl."

"I saw her…. her…."

The words were escaping him, again, as always. He knew it, he was sure. He had heard Ward say it to Skye when he was keeping his lie on.

"Her routine, you mean?"

It was that. It was that word he had been searching for the last couple of seconds, seconds who lasted hours in his head. He knew that word. Routine. He could still hear May, or Ward saying that.

"Yeah that. I saw her routine this morning. She was up early."

"She is young but she was raised following the military traditions by one of the best swordswoman I have ever met."

"But not by you."

"Not by me."

She was sad. He could feel it deep down. She was extremely sad. He sighed. Families were always complicated. The way issues could come were too many and the solutions too few.

"Why don't you go see her?"

"I… She won't talk to me."

"Why would she talk to me?"

Sif sighed deeply, and looked at the picture of her daughter. She was a beautiful young woman. And Sif regretted not watching her grow. She should have. But now was too late for regrets.

"I don't know. I guess everyone not being her father or myself would be welcomed."

* * *

_Skye._

_Regrets. That's what I feel. I should probably say remorses. I should probably be already begging for you to forgive me. But I know you won't forgive me anytime soon. _

_I'm tired of playing the part. I'm tired of showing no emotions.I felt something when you made me understand how much you hated me. When you punched me. It hurt. It really did. _

_I guess you don't believe any of that. That wouldn't surprise me. You are quite stubborn. _

_That's very cowardly of me to say that in a mail. I guess I will say it again when I see you. I hope soon._

_I miss you. I miss the way you always tried to have more sleep in the morning when I came and woke you up. I miss your crazy ideas, and that marvelous way you always answered back to everything. I miss everything. I miss you._

_I should have let Garrett down when I realized what I felt about you. I thought about it. But I didn't. I was wrong. _

_Ward. _

"He dared! He dared!"

She was crazy. This man was going to turn her crazy. He dared sending her a mail which message was basically that he loved her. After all he had done! He had the nerve to say that! Skye was crying in rage. She couldn't stand it anymore, she was cracking. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. She had lost weight. She was slowly but surely losing her mind. She had lost her heart. She had lost everything since Hydra. She had lost everything because of him.

She took a deep breath. She couldn't see through the curtain of tears. She was trying to stand up and wash the flood away from her face but she couldn't. She couldn't be strong. She just wanted to be weak for a minute. Or two. Just for once. She didn't know what she wanted anymore. The path she thought she would follow was lost in the sea of her tears, where was also her dreams and the raggedy remains of her pulverized passion. She had believed in him for God's sake! he had even… No she couldn't say it. It hurt too much. It hurt as much as her crazy chimeras overpopulating her nights.

Butterflies were appearing behind her tightly closed eyelids. She couldn't let herself go. But she did it anyway. She couldn't fight against herself. She had learned that. But she still tried. Because it was nonsense. It was all insane, foolish. It was just… It was just… It was just what she felt. It was just love.

She was still crying but not in rage anymore. It was the tears of a broken heart. It was terrible. it was all her. It was her fault. She shouldn't have fell in love with him. He was her weakness. She shouldn't feel that. And weaknesses were made to be beaten. He better run. Because she was going to find him.

She didn't cry anymore. Run, Ward. That was all she could say. Weaknesses were made to disappear with ge and training. he wanted to make her stronger. He wanted to make her soldier. Soldiers don't have weaknesses. He didn't have a weakness. So she was going to make him disappear.

She stood up. She walked to the bathroom. Her cheeks were strained with mascara. Was it the face of a soldier? She washed it away slowly, taking her time. It was the shattered love she had for him she washed away. It was dark and ugly. She was going to be new. Without that pain she still harbored into her chest. He would not recognize her. Good. Here's what you've done to me, asshole. Look what I've become. This is your masterpiece.

* * *

She wanted Death. Death. Violence. Fear. Tears. She wanted them to suffer. She was not just Goddess of Death. She was the one to make them pay for their acts. She was there to bring justice. A twisted, dark, woeful justice. Just as she was twisted, dark and woeful.

Hella had never been a joyous child. She was the crazy one, the gloomy one. The one who watched fire burn and destroy with a manic fascination. That had cost her half her skin. She had been burned because she was too close. Too close to the fire that burned and destroyed. She was her own kind of fire. Cold and burning. Monstruous. Icy.

There were so many lives to take on that stupid realm. It was such a little world for all this scrawing life. She was ready to help reduce that number. Wasn't that so generous of her? She was insanely craving the misery of this pathetic species. Of every pathetic species standing between her and the Nine Realms. Insanity was a word that had long ago became a part of her own being. She was insane to the point of no return. She was past help. Nothing could bring her back. As she ever been sane? She couldn't remember. She simply had never been.

She knew the look in the mortal's eyes. It was pain? This man was hurt to the point of no return. There were deep scars. Too deep to be healed. She didn't believe in what people called the power of love. Love was an overrated ideal. Some abstract goal no one could reach. But love brought hurt. That was the only thing she could appreciated about it. Love led to crimes. Love led to insanity. Love led to death.

"Mortal!"

She called with her low and cold voice. He looked at her. He was fierce. She could only admit that. He was brave. Maybe was it what people liked. She didn't care. She could only cared about what made their heart stop from fear. She could only care about what made them tremble.

"Yes?"

"How many soldiers do we have left?"

How many lives could they still sacrifice? He knew that was what she made behind it. That woman was crazy. He couldn't stand the way her bi-color irises glowed in manic fury and demented craving. He maybe looked like he was afraid of her. He was more disgusted by her. She lived for death. Was it even living? He saw the difference between Torunn and her. Torunn lived. Torunn loved. Torunn had freaking feelings. Well… It was what he had felt. What he had seen.

But now they were just puppets. In the hand of cruel masters. No feelings approved. No strings. they had to fight. He had to face that crazy goddess. and his own demons.

* * *

**Here we are!**

**So what did you think of all of that? Tell me!**

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	12. Mess and Fiasco

**Hi, everyone! **

**Sorry for not posting earlier like planned, but I had an exam this week that took me more time to rpeapre that what I had thought. So I finally finished the chapter and I'm posting it. Let me know what you think. **

* * *

_**A few days later**_

"So you can morph your appearance."

"Yes. I told you that ten times already. Or more. You should check your records."

She sighed. Another boring interview with Coulson. She quite liked the man in general, even if he tended to be icy when it came to Ward, when it came to his team. She knew better than ask questions about what had happened. She knew that, in interrogations, you had to avoid questioning the person who kept you captive. It could have nasty consequences on your health. She just kept her answers sarcastic and clear, as she had always done in the multiple occasions she had found herself restrained, with a quite important threat on her safety.

Coulson knew she was a warrior. He had seen her fight, he had seen her talk about what she had done. He saw her behavior in this situation. He knew she had done all of it already a thousand times and was prepared to continue doing it. She was, and that was quite paradoxical because of her young age, some sort of war veteran. She had seen things on the battlefield most of people would have nightmares about. She had patched herself up in awful circumstances, probably unhygienic, and there she was. All smirk and sarcasm. She had that dark brand of humor. And he quite liked her vision of the Universe as it was.

"I'll do that."

He looked at his watch. He had been in there for two hours. It was time for them both to have a break. She looked exhausted.

"Time to stop for today."

"Great."

"Are your wounds still hurting?"

"A little. But that's normal at this stage of the healing process."

"Do you want me to send somebody to have a look?"

"I don't want anything. If you do, please send somebody that wouldn't say I'm a monster right into my face. I've got a lot of self-control. And I am not armed. But I can do things with my bare hands I wouldn't want anybody to find out soon."

He smiled. This girl was mad. But not psycho madness. She was just a wild one, who hated being restrained or kept in a little space for too long. And that energy could easily morph into anger at any provocation. He had seen that already, the pattern you find in patented warriors or spies. Romanov was like that too. Always requesting something to do. It was explained by a lack of sleep and too much caffeine in some cases. But for Romanov or Torunn Thorsdottir, their drug was adrenalin and combat. Who would win the fight if these two had to fight against each other?

He called Fitz to go see her. That was what she had meant. Not Simmons who had turned into a quite angry ball of nerves during the past months, but sweet, broken-hearted Fitz. He had seen him keeping an eye on her on the monitor in his lab. He had seen the footage of the interrogation room where he had taken care of her. He was kind with her. And she was surprised of that. He tried to look after her. He had made sure to be informed of what was going on in these interrogations. It was nice of him. But Coulson, like everyone else, didn't understand why.

When the two men pushed her in the vault, she saw that someone was already there. She immediately tensed, swearing on her lack of weaponry.

"Watch the language, princess."

She relaxed almost immediately. It was just Leo.

"Hi."

That's all she said. Hi. He shook his head. When she came under the crude white light, he saw how much her sleep deprivation was affecting her. She had dark circles under her eyes, she seemed slow and exhausted. Her motions weren't that precise and energetic anymore and he felt like she was going to black out any minute.

"How are you?"

"I'm ok."

She wasn't. He could see it. Being ok was something you said only when you weren't. When he heard his mother cry quietly and he came to see her, she always said that. I'm ok, Leo. Ok was not ok.

"You're not. You almost don't sleep. You almost are a zombie. What is happening?"

She didn't answer, and didn't look at him. It was as if she hadn't heard him. It was disturbing and he hated that.

"Look at me, Torunn."

"I'm ok, Leo."

"Look at me."

She reluctantly looked at him. Something was happening. Something he didn't really understand. It was pain. Fever maybe. Anyway, she was in a bad state. He ordered her to sit, and she did without complaining. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. She was hurt.

"What is happening?"

He put a hand up at her forehead. It was hot. She was burning. Fever. Lack of sleep weakened the immune system. She had wounds, still not completely healed. She had been having her bandages replaced for a couple of days. What if… His eyes opened wide. What if she had an infection? Fever was one of the symptoms.

He was going to kill Jemma. She was supposed to be a doctor for God's sake! She was supposed to avoid this kind of situations! Even Torunn, who had no medical training, in a middle of a freaking battlefield, was able to patch herself up, without getting an infection! He swore.

"Watch your language, Leo."

She said with a slight smile. He helped her lay on the bed. She cringed her teeth. He muttered relaxing words to her. He moved the clothes around her wounds, put the bandages off. Nothing on the arm. He put a new one on and proceeded the same on her thigh. Nothing here. There was only one wound left. The bigger one, on her side. It was deeper than the others and longer. And it had swollen and reddened. Red streaks were starting to run from the area. How come Jemma didn't see this?

He gently touched the area. Her breath hitched.

"Don't hesitate to say if I hurt you."

She nodded but he knew she wouldn't. She was too proud. He sighed. Why was this girl so stubborn? Wasn't it sometimes much simpler to _say_ things? He looked at her. She was pale, paler than the last time he had seen her. The dark circles and the red streaks both were clearly visible on her body, the contrast affecting it. She was sweating, she was starting to shake.

"Torunn."

Her head was hurting like crazy, her wound too, she felt generally weak and she hated it. Everything was starting to go dark. It started slowly. Then, she completely fell unconscious. As if somebody had turned the energy switch off.

* * *

"_We are interrupting your program for a quick news flash."_

Skye looked up from her computer. She had been browsing every footage they had that could actually lead to him. But no trace of him. Nothing. That made her go crazy. He was human, for God's sake! How come he didn't make mistakes? She felt like smashing her computer on the floor and stomp on it. And it was something she didn't say often, being a compulsive hacker.

"_For a few days, violent deaths had been reported all over Nevada. People placed a group of masked men, carrying guns, near the city of Elko. They follow no clear pattern. Mr Toledano witnessed one of the killings. "_

It was masked men. No sign of Ward. Where was he? She was desperate to find him and make him pay. He had made her that way. He had made her want to end everything. She couldn't believe she actually had loved him. That bastard. She was about to turn of the TV, the constant violence always made her wait of some sign from him. But she didn't. Something a young man was saying really interested her.

"_The police wouldn't believe us. But we saw them. Their leader is a woman. The thing is, she really looks like a villain from comics. Like really. She's all metal-ish and carries a sword. She's insane. That sounds crazy, but we actually saw her. It is her."_

That wasn't possible. Hella was there. She was heading North. Skye called for somebody. They needed to stop them before they caused more trouble. Waiting for people to come see why she was calling, she did a quick research. Elko. North Nevada. More than 18,200 inhabitants. More than 18.200 lives that could end soon if the goddess continued her savage enterprise. Nobody came they were all scattered around the Playground getting done with their tasks. They had been like that since the attack. Buzzing around the place, preparing for what they thought was an on-coming attack. It had been more than a week since then. And there had been no attack. Enough to make everyone start worrying.

She opened her mail box. She hadn't had any mail since his. She couldn't stop going back to it everyday, a few times each day. God, she hated that. But these worlds… Was it a whole lie? Could it be a lie? Of course it could. Of course it could. He was a liar. He was a master of dissimulation. He had done it already. She had seen it already. But she just couldn't help hoping. He had saved her. Before going away again.

She shook her head. No. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing she still wanted him to be good. She wanted him to see her as what he had made her. Cold. Deadly. Revengeful.

* * *

Coulson was working in his office. These files were incredibly boring. How could Fury manage that? He had been a field agent before becoming Director, just like Coulson. How could he keep his cool when he was browsing through hundreds of reports like these? He sighed. Becoming the head of SHIELD had been stimulating at first, since the whole organization was in state of internal war. But now that all had settled down… He was bored. He had not really been into a mission since months. A soft knock at the door broke his train of thought.

"Yes."

A young agent entered.

"Sir, we have a non-registered e-mail communication going on between an agent with a high clearance level and a IP code unknown of us."

"Who?"

"Agent…"

She looked at her paper a moment, quite perplexed.

"Agent Skye, sir."

Skye? Skye was having an email exchange with people outside SHIELD? Did she still have contacts with her hacktivist friends from Rising Tide? He sighed. That was going to add another issue to the whole Asgardian mess, and to the Kree fiasco.

"Do you have a report?"

"Here, sir."

She gave the paper to him. It was just two emails, one coming from an unknown address and the others was the reply from Skye. He started to worry. He had contacted her. Ward had dared contact her. That meant he knew her mail, that meant he knew how to contact them. How did he succeed to have access to protected addresses?

"Did you trace the mail?"

"I was waiting for your consent, sir. In case you wouldn't want us to…"

"You have my agreement. Find him."

She nodded and walked back to the door. He called her at the moment she was about to close the panel behind her.

"What's your name?"

"Agent Carter, sir."

"Then, Agent Carter, I would like that conversation and the story of these e-mails kept secret. You'll report directly to me."

"Yes, sir."

She closed the door. He stayed seated, staring at the words Ward had written to Skye. That explained everything. Her new behavior during the last days. The way she was colder, the way she spent hours trying to find a trace, anything, browsing through video footage they had already seen multiple times. She had… changed. As if her emotions were off, leaving the path free for her rage and revenge. This was her answer to the regretful piece of writing of the former agent.

_We'll meet again, Ward. And you'll have the surprise of a lifetime._

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**Don't forget to review to let me know what you think will happen next! **

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	13. Subconscious

**Hi everyone! **

**That's me, I'm back! **

**This chapter is longer than usual, maybe because I was sick last week and just couldn't finish the chapter and post it! So now I'm back and it's the vacations so I'll have more time to write!**

**I'm excited about this chapter because I really liked writing it, I hope you'll like it and be surprised by what's coming. **

**The credits for the song are: **

**\- Demons by Imagine Dragons**

**\- I wonder by Kellie Pickler **

**\- Nightmares by Ed Sheeran**

* * *

_It was dark and steamy. The world was made of a black thick smoke. From where she was standing, the battlefield looked like a children game with little models moving around. Jets of red paint came from their bodies when they hit each other. It looked like a macabre spectacle for deranged souls. And she watched it with an alarmed fascination. She was not psychopathic enough to rejoice in watching death and fights from up here, as an insane deity would do._

"_This is your deed." _

_Behind her was standing a tall man. He was blue-skinned, dark eyes and dark-haired. He had long black locks of silky hair. The color of his skin didn't shock her. It was usual. Half the men dying at the foot of her cliff were blue or pink. _

"_How can this be my deed, Raal-Sha? I never asked for a thing."_

"_You didn't. Dok-Tor did. We have a very high notion of word-given. He didn't honor his word, Ska-Aï. You pay."_

_Her blue skin was covered in symbols. It was creepy enough not remembering who and why they had done that. She was supposed to be the one ending the war. She was supposed to be the final sacrifice, because of him. But she couldn't. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault. She closed her eyes when Raal-Sha pushed her forward to the cliff, to her end. Why her? She didn't gaze down to the battlefield and the ground she would end on, after her fall. She felt nothing anymore below her feet. Air wiped her face and her brown hair was pulled back by the wind. The end._

They could have found her in her bathroom, trying to erase the black ink from her skin which was absolutely human-like. They could have seen the scared and angry tears threatening to roll on her cheeks. Why was this happening to her? Because her friends had wanted to help her in the first place? Because she had tried to make it right, to save Mike Peterson from Ian Quinn and Centipede? This was not her fault!

* * *

When the days are cold

And the cards all fold

And the saints we see

Are all made of gold

When your dreams all fail

And the ones we hail

Are the worst of all

And the blood's run stale

I wanna hide the truth

I wanna shelter you

But with the beast inside

There's nowhere we can hide

No matter what we breed

We still are made of greed

This is my kingdom come

This is my kingdom come

When you feel my heat

Look into my eyes

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

Don't get too close

It's dark inside

It's where my demons hide

It's where my demons hide

At the curtain's call

It's the last of all

When the lights fade out

All the sinners crawl

So they dug your grave

And the masquerade

Will come calling out

At the mess you made

Don't wanna let you down

But I am hell bound

Though this is all for you

Don't wanna hide the truth

They say it's what you make

I say it's up to fate

It's woven in my soul

I need to let you go

Your eyes, they shine so bright

I wanna save that light

I can't escape this now

Unless you show me how

* * *

_The little girl was playing with toys in one of the rooms of the palace. She was bored to death by the lack of excitement of the whole activity. Because when she wanted to make her dolls fight, she made too much noise and she was scolded by the maid watching her. She looked in the blue eyes of the doll. It was a gift from her father, but he hadn't brought it himself. He never came. The doll was pale and blonde, with plaits and a blue dress, just like the one the girl was wearing today. But Torunn prefered the strong and smooth silver armor of her mother to the soft and fluffy sweet dresses the maid wore. _

"_I'm bored." _

_She pouted. She heard the sigh of the maid behind her She knew the woman didn't like being bothered when she was reading. But she was supposed to take care of her, and was failing. _

"_Stay calm…"_

"_But I'm bored!"_

"_You're a little girl of 3 years old. How can you be bored by dolls?"_

_The girl crossed her arms and frowned. That wasn't fair. She resumed fidgeting with the toy for a moment before the door opened slowly. She turned to see who was coming, and if the person was going to save her from that boredom. A tall woman in shiny armor entered the room. Her face lit up with a smile when she saw the child watching her. _

"_Mommy!"_

"_Hey, baby…"_

_Torunn jumped into her mother's arm, giggling in joy. It had been days since she had last seen her._

"_How are you?"_

"_I was bored and then, you came and I'm not bored anymore!" _

_She squealed in excitement. Sif laughed. God, that girl was amazing. _

"_I missed you…" _

"_Me too, mommy! I asked when you were coming but nobody told me…"_

_She pouted. But her mother was here now, and everything was ok, and she was not bored anymore and she was happy, and the maid and the doll were both forgotten. Sif played with her, smiled with her and never seemed annoyed when she wanted her dolls to fight. She just shook her head and smiled fondly at her. And Torunn was happy. _

Her hand stroke softly the burning forehead and sweaty blonde locks of her daughter. She had been dreaming and muttering 'mommy' a couple of times, in a heart-breaking manner. It was the scientist who had called her in the cell, even if she didn't want to go at first. But the way he had made her understand her daughter needed her… She just couldn't get away this time. She had to be there.

The girl tensed and Sif felt the dream had changed to its more horror-carrying counterpart. Her eyes rolled behind her eyelids, a shudder shook her body from head to toe. A moan, soft and painful, escaped her lips.

"Sshh, baby…It's over…"

* * *

Sometimes I think about you

Wonder if you're out there somewhere thinking bout me

And would you even recognize

The woman that your little girl has grown up to be

Cause I look in the mirror and all I see

Are your brown eyes looking back at me

They're the only thing you ever gave to me at all

Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California

There's sunny skies as far I can see

If you ever come back home to Carolina

I wonder what you'd say to me

I think about how it ain't fair

That you weren't there to braid my hair

Like mothers do

You weren't around to cheer me on

Help me dress for my high school prom

Like mothers do

Did you think I didn't need you here

To hold my hand

To dry my tears

Did you even miss me through the years at all

Forgiveness is such a simple word

But it's so hard to do when you've been hurt

Oh, I hear the weather's nice in California

And just in case you're wondering about me

From now on I won't be in Carolina

Your little girl is off

Your little girl is off

Your little girl is off to Tennessee

* * *

_One on her right. Gunshot. One on her left. Gunshot. One just in the middle. Gunshot. One on her right. Gunshot. One on her left. Gunshot. Almost point blank this time. She was starting to lose it altogether. Stay calm, May. Keep your cool. It was his voice ringing in her ears. She took a deep breath. Don't think. She had to get them out of here. Kill the others. Finish the mission. Save them. Save him. There was blood everywhere, on the walls, on the floor, on her gun and on her hands, on her hair and on her face. The blood of her enemies mixed up with her own. They had made blood flow, she had done it too. It was payback for the treatment they had given all of them. _

_She recharged the gun, pulled the trigger, killed a man. Not thinking about his family or friends was easier now. She couldn't think about all the families of all the men she had just killed. She had to stay focused on the mission. Get them out. _

_She entered the cell. It was dark but big, and it was fortunate, because they were twenty. She hadn't seen them in days. Or what had felt like days. Maybe it was just hours. Maybe it was months. She had been kept in another room, alone. Maybe because she was a woman. She didn't know. She didn't want to know. She just had to get them out. They all looked up at her. And their features tensed. _

_She felt somebody move behind her, from the door she had just passed; She felt the barrel of a gun, the enemy's gun pressed against the back of her head. Stay calm, May. She took a deep breath. _

"_Oh no, darling… Don't try to make them escape…" _

_The man spoke with a thick accent. It was now sure he was from the team of terrorists that had kidnapped them. She recognized the voice, its rusty sound. _

"_I am not your darling." _

_She hissed back. She felt him change his position, move towards her. It was exactly what she needed. She threw her leg back in a powerful kick. Her foot landed in his knee. The sound of bone hitting bone resounded and the man fell to the ground. There were two gunshots. One pierced through her arm, making her cry out in pain. The other went through his head and made him go limp on the floor, like a puppet. _

_She bit her lip to fight the pain, drew blood, winced. All the others were passing each other a knife she had given them, cutting of their bounds, ropes. She ripped a piece of fabric in the dead man's shirt, used it to put around her wound. It was bleeding, but not as much as it would have if he had hit an artery or a principal vein. Her face had remained expressionless. _

"_Everybody move."_

_She ordered in a dark and cold voice, taking the lead. She had to guide them to the weaponry to take arms, or they should take them off the floor. She decided for the second option. The way to the exit was long enough without a detour._

_They moved quickly. That's what she liked when she rescued professionals. They moved quickly and weren't taking silly decisions every minute. They made it out with almost no problems. They just had a little bit of fight to have against some remaining soldiers, but it was almost nothing. _

_The sun was hot. It was the middle of the day. The relief everybody felt was huge. They were out. Nobody was waiting for them. They were alive. She looked back at her little group. She looked again. Somebody was missing. He was missing. _

"_Where's Coulson?"_

"_He was taken by the soldiers not long before you came in. We thought he was already out."_

"_He isn't."_

_She recharged her gun, took a second one from an ally, checked the number of bullets remaining. Almost full. She took a deep breath and started to walk. _

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I'm going back in."_

"_Don't, you're gonna die."_

"_I don't care."_

"_But the extraction team will be here soon. He will not blame you if you leave."_

"_But I will blame myself. I am not leaving someone behind. If I had done that, you would not be here."_

_She entered the building. Now it was almost deserted. but she knew that somewhere, Coulson was detained. And if they had done anything to him, they would pay. She walked over the corpses, over the floods of blood and the remaining weapons. She took another charger, for back-up. She didn't know what was waiting for her. She couldn't believe the others wanted to leave him there, and were prepared to do so that easily. _

_She found them after minutes of search that felt like hours. They were in the basements. That was the moment it was going to be hard-core. Going down the stairs, she was an easy threat, but she had neither the time nor the gear to pull up a fancier entrance. She sighed. On three. One. Two. Three._

_The doors burst open, giving her the surprise effect she needed to jump half way through the stairs. He was there, tied up on a chair, cut and blood was streaming down his recent wounds. Torture. She saw red. The soldiers looked at her and shot. She shot too. A dozen of times. She killed them. She killed them all. _

_She rushed at his feet to untie him. He looked up at her. She didn't smile at him. She didn't look at him. She helped him get up. Her arm was hurting like crazy but she didn't care. He was safe. Her team was safe. Nothing could happen now. _

"_Melinda, you ok?"_

_She nodded, wincing. They made their way through the maze of the place, she had to shoot twice again. He tensed each time, but she get them out. She was broken up. But she get them out. She didn't know the cost yet. _

She shot out of her meditative phase. She didn't want those memories to come back. But they did. As they hadn't stopped to do for the last few years since it all happened. Since Bahrain and the mission that had changed her life. In many ways. She still had the scar on her arm. Today, she couldn't believe how she had been able to do all of that with that wound and the blood loss. Somebody on their team had died back there. The only woman. Melinda May.

* * *

They tell me you can only dream when you fell asleep

But now I'm working to achieve and sleep's the only thing that I never see

And I vowed that my breathing will never cease

To the retrieve then I can't let them be

I won't let 'em leave and I had the same feeling since 17

But I wasn't ready then like when a lemon's green,

Now I'm in the magazines almost every week,

Cause I'm getting heat like in Tenerife,

Right now it's better than it's never been

Never fade like a plant that's evergreen

So I hope to my heart, but my self doubts are getting me,

Afraid for my cross, getting dump for the day and I'm getting weak,

Cause I'm new, I'm that boy that starts it.

They chase dreams together like a slumber party,

And now I'm on my own, even though I'm smooth sailing

I'm scared to sing, cause my nightmare is fading.

When the darkness creeps in,

I feel my nightmares watching me.

And when my dreams are sleeping,

I feel my nightmares watching me.

Oh, oh, oh!

I feel my nightmares watching me.

You better wake up cause I am making moves,

And even when I'm dozing I'm breaking rooms,

I'm only hitting the sack when I'm training,

Too busy trying to keep up with the latest snooze.

Made my bed and that's where I'm heading,

I fly straight with the best man I embed 'em

Married to the game was a quiet wedding, then I had to fight to get her

Now I'm taking control of my inception, cause they try to hit misses with my direction,

See they better marry donna cause when I strike, strike,

Not even Maradonna is gonna cry, I'm awake at night,

The haters know where the family lives,

Tell me what I catch, but you're playing knock door ginger.

Just gonna lose a lot more, than I need it.

They say sleep is the cousin of death,

But I aint hearin' that shit 'cause I am deaf

Gang signs I'm N/A reading.

I'm a CEO, man you suckers are next.

I fell asleep on myself, woke up in reality,

And daydream about losing my sanity.

I've been rhyming forever got a blind flow.

So I can see an off note with my eyes closed.

But to achieve the dreams you can't doze off cos your dream a sleep

I ain't nodding off but I'm nodding to the beat.

I be shocking in my sheets, when I should have been asleep.

See, all the dreams I'm fonder,

You placed me in the team insomnia

Now, I'm Mr hard worker,

In my nightmares I'm Mr can't turn up,

And I missed my chance worst luck,

Trying to hit women like Mr Ike Turner

Yeah, but I walked from dat isht, now they gotta put me to rest on my mattress

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Don't forget to review/fav/follow !**

**Until next time, **

**The Queen of Heart**


	14. Warning, Awakening

**Hi everyone!**

**Merry Christmas, happy holidays for those who are in vacations! **

**Today, new chapter! I hope you'll like it!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ward stared at the map. It was almost there. They were almost there. It was 563 miles away from the Playground. 563 miles away from Skye. He couldn't hope she had forgiven him, after all he had done. But he had to admit that after her answer to his mail… He didn't know what to think. Being in love was definitely bad, for his willpower and for the easiness feelings blossomed in his chest everytime he heard her name. He hated that. But he loved it at the same time. Love was one thing he hadn't really experienced in his life. Until her.

He closed his eyes tightly and sighed. 563 miles. How many deaths until they reached them? How many innocent would he kill to save his own life? As many as Hella wanted. Because she was the villain of the story. She was the one commanding him to kill. and because he was a complete and utter coward, he did. Because he valued his own life, and because he couldn't die without knowing what she had meant by 'surprise of a lifetime.'

He snapped out of his daydream. Footsteps came towards the room he was in. He recognized them easily. Loud and at a steady rhythm. It could only be Hella. He discovered more and more about the psychopath he accompanied. She was half robot for a good reason. He had once caught her without her mask on. She was burnt. The covered part of her face was burnt deeply. It was ugly to see. It had been a good idea to cover that up.

"Mortal. Your lonely ways are making me paranoid. Shall I? Are your loyalties lying somewhere else?"

"My loyalties surely don't lie with you."

He scoffed. What was she thinking? That he was going to follow her twisted and demented plans? He wasn't like that anymore. He had stopped following blindly.

"Are we close?"

"Yes."

"How close?"

"12 hours. How many people are going to die before we arrive?"

"I do not know. You'll kill when I tell you to."

He gritted his teeth and grumbled. Her head swapped in his direction, her cruel eyes following her every motion and every emotion passing on his face.

"Are you disobeying?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dare!"

His voice was sharp and full of sarcasm. She caught it. How dared he? Her left hand shot towards his neck and soon she felt flesh under her metal-clad fingertips.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you…"

She hissed. He felt the cold material pressed against his trachea and arteries. He was feeling the lack of air in his system. It was painful and he was starting to feel light-headed. She squeezed a little more. He bit his lip to keep from asking her to stop. She was ruthless and didn't accept when people begged for mercy. She considered it weakness. He had to admit he agreed on this point.

"Now, mortal. I shall advise you to be careful. I am no little good-hearted princess like the Thorsdottir was. We are not from the same seed. I do not do cute. It is time you learn the difference. This is the last time I warn you. Next time, you will pay. Not necessarily by your own life. But I know how to hurt you deep, human."

He couldn't answer. He wasn't going to, anyway. He had people to see again, people who kept him alive. Like lights at the end of a tunnel. She let him go just at the moment his vision was going dark. His legs couldn't support him and he fell to the ground. He looked up to find a really sharp-looking blade at mere centimeters of his face.

"You heard me, mortal. No second warning. And no second chance."

She walked away, leaving him behind. Her blade grazed the side of his face, a cut formed along his cheekbone, the blood wetting his cheek. It was not deep but it will leave a mark for some time. As the others had done. When he saw himself a mirror in the morning, he was often horrified by all the scars all over his body. All the little cuts from Hella, and the big ones from the Fridge and Garrett, the wounds from the gunshots on the field. No wonder Skye would be afraid of him. Everybody, who saw him as he really was, was afraid.

He stood up, put his finger on the cut to judge of its depth and the speed of its future healing. It would just need a little band aid. As the others had. Hella had that surgical precision with her wounds that was scary. She knew exactly where and how strike to hurt, was it psychologically or physically. It meant she was used to inflicting pain. He was afraid of what she had meant by 'not necessarily by his own life'. What was she planning?

He took the Glock tucked in his belt. It was the second charger he used since the fight. Already more than 15 bullets. 15 deaths. 15 innocents. He hit the table, angry. How many people were piling up in his trail? He didn't know. He didn't want to know. They were the things keeping Skye away from him. A trail of deaths marking the path of his life.

* * *

A soft knock resounded against the door of his office. He sighed. He had just dismissed the last agent. Who was going to bother him this time?

"Come in!"

A tall young woman, strict-looking with her dark blue suit. Agent Carter. He had met her a couple of times since the story with the mails. She was extremely professional, almost too cold and detached.

"Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning, Agent Carter. You got anything for me?"

"We located the computer from which came the mail. It led us to a town called Nampa, Idaho, about 500 miles from here."

"Too close..."

He sighed. They were coming. They were faster than he had thought. It was not going to be pretty. It was going to be difficult for all of them, because they had Skye, who was preparing something nasty, and Torunn who really liked Ward, and sided with Hella. So they had to be aware of everything. Threats from outside AND inside.

"What measures do you take, sir? Do we send a team to eliminate the threat?"

He looked up at the woman and her tablet. She seemed ready to send the mission to one of their high-risk teams. There were only two ready for that kind of mission. He trusted both. But he didn't know what to expect from Hella.

"Which one would be ready? We're dealing with a massive threat there."

"We got the team with Agents Morse and Hunter. But I heard that these two don't really get along anymore."

"Agent Morse?"

"Code name Mockingbird. Or we can have Agents Romanoff, Barton or Rogers, we just need to join them from the safehouse in New Mexico."

"Keep them where they are for now. We don't need Avengers."

He wasn't going to risk his best assets on that mission. Maybe Mockingbird. With May. No, he couldn't risk Melinda either. At this precise moment, he wished Ward was still with them. He bet he would have done a good job on that one. But Ward had gone rogue. And he was the reason they had to send a team to end him.

Carter was waiting for an order. That woman was the example of calm and cold-blood. He had never seen or heard her get angry at somebody. She just stood there with her fingers ready to send the orders.

"I'll come back to you about it in an hour."

"Yes, sir."

Neutral. She never even showed what she thought. She walked away in complete silence. Unbelievable.

He just hoped Skye wasn't going to go completely insane on this one. He knew she was always impossible to manage when she was now… She had the chance to face her enemy. She had the chance to make him pay. So she was going to. He sighed. Why now?

* * *

It had been two days. Two days since she had fallen asleep. It was crazy. She was supposed to be stronger than humans. She was supposed not to be sick. He was switching with Sif when he needed to sleep, Jemma came sometimes to check on her but he didn't talk to her. Right now, he couldn't believe how she dared look at him in the eyes.

"I can't believe how you can stay with this… Girl…"

He closed his eyes. He wasn't going to yell at her. He just needed to stay calm and focused.

"Her mother is there. I don't understand why WE need to take care of her."

Because she was a human being. Well not exactly, but she was a living breathing creature, who looked damn well like a human. They took care of living creatures. Even if they were criminals, murderers. She had feelings. She was a person. How could Jemma not see that?

"Are you deaf, Fitz? I'm talking to you."

"And I'm not."

He bit back. She looked at him with wide eyes. She wasn't used to him being so aggressive towards her. He usually shut up and let her speak and be mean at him without talking back. But this time, he was really pissed at her. She had thought she wouldn't be blamed for not taking care enough of Torunn. Because she thought nobody cared about a murderer and a psycho. But he cared about that girl who was maybe a murderer but not a psycho. She was maybe a little crazy but who wasn't? Maybe Miss Perfect Jemma Simmons.

She left quickly, she couldn't stand the silence and the atmosphere of the room. He looked at Torunn who was still sleeping. She was normal today, no nightmares, no fever, nothing. She should have been awake by now. He sighed and sat more comfortably in the chair, put the music on in his earphones and waited.

He fell asleep somewhere during the first hour. It was a deep and calm sleep, one which was the result of all these sleepless nights. He didn't remember his dreams, but they hadn't got that vivid sense of reality like his memories/nightmares usually had. He was awaken by a little tug on his sleeve. And he was supposed to be sleeping deeply. One girl was looking at him with sleepy eyes. She was awake.

"Hey, Leo."

"Hi, princess. Slept well?"

"Like a log."

She smiled. How long had he been there? She remembered her mother being at her side, once, when she had come back to the land of the living for a couple of seconds. She moved to stand up. Maybe a little bit too briskly.

"Hey, easy there. You just slept for two days…"

"I should be rested then…"

"You were sick."

"Never happens to me."

God, she was one stubborn girl. He stood up, put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back in a lying position. She opened wide eyes, looked at him with surprise. She surely wasn't used to that kind of behavior towards her.

"Now you stay there, ok?"

She nodded, seeing he wasn't going to change his mind on that. That was the first time in her whole life somebody cared enough to try to keep her resting. Maybe her mother did that too, before, but it wasn't the same anymore. The dreams she had had during her sleep… It was old memories coming back, of a time she was happier. When her mother still cared. She had never really seen her father, she knew she wasn't important in his eyes. But her mother… Sif had been there, at least partially for the first years of her life. How could she forget the love she had and how she had been ripped away from it, to stay there in the dark, alone and forgotten?

"How are you feeling?"

She looked at him. He was worried. Like really worried.

"I'm good. Don't worry. You look tired."

"I've been watching over you."

"You didn't need to."

"Of course I did."

He scoffed and smiled at her. He was glad she was back. She tried to sit up again, but the look he sent her made her go back to lying position immediately. That girl… He didn't understand how people couldn't see that she wasn't a bad person.

"What is that thing you put in your ear?"

"It's an earphone. I put music on my player and I hear it in the earphones."

She looked at him as if he was crazy. Well, maybe he was for her. Everytime he said something like that, she didn't understand. It was all new and intriguing for her. He gave her the earphones and helped her put them in her ears. She was clumsy with it, it was funny to see.

"Don't laugh at me!"

"I don't! Here you are…"

He turned on the music. She tensed and blinked a couple of times. It was strange. The music was really different than what she used to listen to on Asgard. How was it contained in a so little device? She stared at the player with a curious and suspicious look.

"That's… strange."

"You like it?"

"The sound is… unusual. But nice. And the system… So different."

"I get Earth is different than... "

He stopped and frowned. What was the name of this planet/country/thing she came from? Realm. Realm was the word, but what was the name? Seeing him search, she finished his sentence.

"Asgard."

"Yeah right. Asgard. Asgard is different."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. **

**Don't forget to review, don't hesitate to tell me what you thought!**

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart.**


	15. Naughty or Nice

**Happy New Year! **

**Wish you all the best that can happen! **

**So, here's new chapter... I hope you'll like it! We can see new things developping, in the background but also just before our eyes. Nice or not? **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm not ok with Torunn going in….. interrogation again that soon! She's still... weak!"

Leo was pacing around in the lab, stopping only to glance at the monitor. Torunn had just sat down at the table. Her hands were cuffed to the flat iron surface, her ankles to the legs of the chair. It seemed highly uncomfortable and too much of precautions to take for such an innocent-looking girl. But everyone, including him, knew better. She was not innocent. Even if he thought it was not entirely her fault (after all she had spent all this time more or less alone with that Hella psychopath).

Skye was standing next to him. She looked stressed as hell. She was going to do today's interrogation, since Coulson was out of the Playground for a while. It was the Director who had decided of the schedule of interrogations. They had been tipped off that Hella was closer than ever. So they had to know what she wanted. And Torunn was the only way they could to do that.

"Can I skip it?"

Skye whined. He turned to look at her. She was extremely pale. As if she was going to black out any minute.

"You're going to do great!"

"I know… But she freaks me out!"

"She's a nice girl. Dark…. but… but nice. You'll see."

"You're not helping! Maybe she is just nice with you!"

He didn't believe that. She was just so full of light. Why was he the only one to see that? It was crazy. Well, he could understand why Skye was afraid. The first time the team had met her, she was fighting against her mother. She was actually trying to kill her. And she had almost choke May to death. He could understand why she was afraid. But other than that she was a nice person. With too many stories to tell, if you tried and listened to her.

Skye took a deep breath and walked out of the lab to the interrogation room. She sat in front of the blonde girl who raised an eyebrow.

"Hello, little one. What a change from your boss!"

"Call me Agent Skye."

"Yes, madam."

The young agent immediately found the prisoner infuriating. She had a little smirk and that mischievous glint in her eyes. She sighed. Why her? Why now? She hated interrogations!

Leo was trying not to smile. He knew what Torunn was going to do. She was going to play the part they wanted her to play. The part of the crazy psychopath. He disapproved, but it was surely going to be funny.

"Thorsdottir Torunn, earth age 21…"

"Let's get over with that part, I know myself very well, thank you. And I've been asked to check these informations over and over again a dozen times."

"Alright…"

God, that sass… It was hilarious. Skye's face was unbelievable. She seemed so stressed out by the presence of the girl in front of her, even if said girl was not able to move a lot.

"What questions are you going to ask me, now?"

"What are Hella's plans?"

"Take over the Earth. Then, the Universe. And slaughter every person standing between her and the throne. Without exception."

"Even you?"

"Even me. She doesn't care."

Torunn's voice was dark and cold and scary. She was smirking evilly, pausing for dramatic effect and playing her part perfectly. Skye was positively freaked out.

"Hella doesn't care about petty human lives. She thinks she can dispose of you mortals as she wants. Because she can. She is the Goddess of Death."  
"Your mother is the Goddess of War. Your father is the God of Thunder. What are you the Goddess of?"

Surprising question. The girl was smart. Torunn felt like she was going to let go of her act for a moment. But she shouldn't. Leo was the only one who wasn't afraid, disgusted or suspicious of her. Leo was the only one to see her as she really was.

"Why would I tell you? Because you know what is my power?"

"You are a shapeshifter."

"Yeah. I can be whoever I want to."

She changed her appearance to look like Skye. It was more and more scary and weird.

"You like it?"

Blood coated Torunn/Skye's hands, some ended on her cheeks.

"Is this how you want to be?"

"I am not a murderer."

"This is what you will be if you kill Grant. You won't be better than Hella or than me. You will kill for such a shallow motive… Even we don't do that."

"Shut up."

Torunn/Skye laughed. She was having fun with this one. It was Skye's laugh but twisted and dark and full of sarcasm. It gave them the creeps.

"You know, Skye, talking is the least I can do. Since I'm all restrained. Grant never said a word about you taking precautions. He said you were rather reckless."

"Shut up. You don't get to talk about him."

"Why? Because you still love him."

"I hate that man."

"You don't. How would it feel to hear yourself say it? Say, 'I still love Grant Ward. And I never stopped loving him.'

Skye's hand hit her double's face sharply. The slap resounded in the room. She was furious. How dared she? Torunn came back to her original form. She tried to touch her burning cheek but she couldn't. She could only move her hand up to the base of her neck. Leo bit his lip. It was unbelievable. He suppressed his laughter.

"How dare you, Midgardian mortal!"

"I'm the one in charge here. I decide when you shut up, and when you talk. I told you to shut up. You didn't."

Wow, kitty got claws. Both Leo behind the monitor and Torunn in the interrogation room were struck by the sudden anger of the girl. She was really really pissed off. Maybe the Asgardian shouldn't have talked about Grant. Skye called guards to have Torunn back into her cell.

"This is too much."

"You didn't deny it. You love him Skye. And he loves you like crazy. He would happily die for you."

"Shut up."

And the guards took Torunn away. Leo stood up and walked to the cell, meeting his friend at the door. He explained to the suspicious guards that he had to take her to the lab to do some examinations. She looked at him with a frown.

"C'mon." "Can you just…"

She gestured towards the cuffs at her wrists and feet.

"I'll take care of that in... the lab."

She sighed and followed him. She trusted him, but she didn't know what he was going to do. And that freaked her out. They arrived in the lab. She sat on a chair, looking slightly petrified. He smiled.

"Don't be scared. I'm just going to give you something back. But first…"

He uncuffed her, gently. It changed from the usual way the guards cuffed and uncuffed her. The metal hitting her skin. But now, it was gentle.

"Here you are…"

"Thanks… But, why am I here, really?"

She had that look saying 'I don't take any of your examination bullshit'.

"Cause I guessed you were bored down there."

She laughed. It was so sweet of him! He walked around his lab, picked a thing that looked like a bracelet. It was a circle of metal, smooth and shiny.

"What is that?"

"It's a device to keep you from doing big motions. So you don't need... cuffs anymore, but you can't kick or punch someone."

"Oh. Why?"

"I don't know. I figured out this could be useful. You know... If Coulson's ok, you could stay without... these."

He gestured reluctantly towards the cuffs. She smiled.

"And now, what?"

He put it around her wrist and she felt so weird dizziness. The unpleasant feeling eased off quickly. She didn't feel restrained at all so, after he undid the shackles at her feet, she tried a punch. It sent a small electric shock through her body. She yelped.

"What the Hell was that?"

"Electricity. That's a long story."

She sighed. It was still better than with the cuffs. Torunn stood up and stretched. It felt good to be a little freer. He watched her as she hopped on the table to sit and winced.

"Don't do that…" "What do I do then?"

She went back to the floor with a smile and started roaming around the room, pushing buttons. He was smiling too, she looked so curious and so suspicious sometimes.

"You… I don't know… Don't touch that!"

She did it. She pushed the button and water sprayed all over the holotable and the desk, and all over her too. She was soaking wet, coughing, hair and clothes drenched, and it was so hilarious. He burst out laughing. A couple of second later, she was laughing too. They went like that for minutes, until they were both holding their sides, abdominos on fire and completely out of breath. Her blonde plait was almost brown in color and the ugly prison outfit was completely doused. They didn't realize somebody was behind the door, listening to Fitz's laugh with an air of disbelieving. He hadn't laughed since the accident with the pod. And it was the crazy Asgardian psycho who made him happy.

Fitz felt good, for the first time in many many days. This girl was terrific in her own funny and twisted way, and he really liked that about her. He had seen her ease in interrogation, how she played Skye. She was used to it. He didn't know if he found i scary or fascinating. After all, his own ease with sciency stuff and guns' composition could seem scary for non-scientists. But she visibly didn't mind. He had a little smile. He couldn't wait to see her reaction at his 'gift' that was waiting in her cell...

* * *

"I hate her."

Tripp looked up to see his girlfriend, absolutely pissed off and with a murderous look. He sighed. He loved her, he really did, but sometimes the jealousy she had when a girl approached Fitz was annoying. And since the Asgardian was here, she was worst than ever.

"What did she do again, babe?"

"She is so nice with him! I am sure she is preparing something."

"She just can't be nice with somebody?"

"Have you seen her fight?"

"I actually was right next to her when she was fighting May."

She sat next to him on the couch and he put his arm around her shoulders. She kept rambling about that girl and Fitz, his name kept coming back into her speech.

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Did you even listen to me?"

She hissed, annoyed. Why was everybody so oblivious to the danger she represented? She was a goddess, with powers they didn't really understand. She was dangerous. All these people she had killed… How could they forget about it? Fitz had had troubles looking at her in the eyes after she had told him she had shot somebody. He hated troublemakers. How could he forget everything this girl had done that easily? How could he laugh with her, when she was free to move, free to kill him?

"Hey, of course I do! But, listen, Fitz is an adult, if he wants to talk with the girl, let him do it!"

"But she's dangerous!"

"That's not for you to judge who is good or bad for him…"

"You're the least supportive boyfriend I ever had!"

Tripp laughed. Jemma Simmons would be the death of him. He kissed her gently, just at the moment one agent entered the room. The woman coughed awkwardly and waited for Jemma to follow her. The scientist sighed, stood up and followed the agent to an office in the administration part of the Playground.

"First thing, I'm Agent 13 Sharon Carter, you can call me Carter or 13."

"Jemma Simmons. No idea what my number is."

"You don't have one."

Carter gestured for her to sat down. Simmons followed her command and sat in front of her, watching the woman pick up some papers from a stack of files on her right.

"Here. You have been assigned as medical back-up for a termination mission. I'll be your team leader. All you need to know is in this file. Read it, sign it, return it. Don't let anyone read it. It's classified matter. The Director trusts you with it."

Simmons opened the file. And stopped. The name written in front of the mention: target. A name she knew well. a name she had liked before everything changed. She had some kind of sad smile. How ironic. Her eyes drifted to the list of teammates. Sharon Carter. She blinked in acknowledgement. Lance Hunter and Barbara Morse. She had heard their names once or twice. Felix Blake and Gregory Pierce. Completely unknown to her. And the last spot was blank.

"We're still looking for a sixth one. A lot of agents knew him, and liked him. it's not easy to find people willing to kill ex-comrade."

"I see 5 names on the paper."

"Morse and Hunter didn't know him. They were assigned on this. I didn't know him either. Blake worked with him a couple of times. And Pierce has a long history with Ward."

Simmons smiled. She knew exactly who could be the one taking the last place. One really really angry young agent. With one hell of a broken heart.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**Let me know what you thought through the comments, it's always a pleasure to read them!**

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	16. Part of a Team, Part of Yourself

**Hello, everyone! **

**I'm a little tiny bit late on this one, but I think it's worth it. I don't know. It's for you to tell me!**

**I know readers expected twists and turns in the next chapter. I hope I won't deceive them with this one! Because I know the couple of next chapters will change everything. **

**Anyway, enjoy this one. **

* * *

Her sword. He gave her her sword back. She couldn't help take it in her hands through the thick leather sheath. Finally… She missed that familiar weight so much… Tying the belt around her hips, she moved around. It had been days, weeks maybe since she last felt this weight at her left side. It meant protection. Fight. It was her life.

She slipped back into practice, drawing her sword. The muscles stretched and clenched, her joints didn't protest at the effort. It was one entire mechanic, used to the exercise. The light weight of her sword tugging at one of her shoulder reminded her of the axis these two latter had to form for the exercise to be down correctly. The metal of the weapon never touched the floor as she went through all her routine.

Her wrist flicked in any possible direction, around and around. Her body went through yoga positions at the same time, testing her balance, her focus. Her fingers were wrapped around the handle firmly and lightly at the same time, allowing her to keep the flexibility of her wrist and also allowing her not to be disarmed easily. It felt good to have these tiny muscles functioning again, lifting the blade away from the ground, against the force of the gravity.

She balanced leg to the side in one sudden, swift motion. Her other knee flexed, and before being completely put off balance by the weight of her leg on the wrong side, she made a small jump. It started as just a little hop, her bent leg suddenly stretching and propulsing her back. But with the side kick she had executed earlier and the way her body was positioned, her arm and sword tugging her to the ground on one side, with all her torso and head in that direction, her leg shot again and she flew across the room, flinging violently her whole body to where her opponent would have been. That was one hell of a move. And the bracelet felt it too.

The shock went through her from head to toe. She let out a shocked cry and fell to the ground, completely paralyzed and not able to move. She waited a couple of seconds to have her mobility back and groaned. That was painful. She shouldn't forget about it later on.

The door of the cell opened. She knew somebody would eventually come. Leo was nice to give her back her weapon but the Director didn't necessarily agree, since she was known as a ruthless psychopathic killer. Both Leo and the Director entered the room. She put the sword back into the sheath. She would better not appear as deadly as she was.

The scientist was trying to explain something, but his speech troubles were keeping him from succeeding in this task. The words were escaping him, as usual. He was struggling on his explanation of the way he had modified the molecular structure of the weapon to make it disappear thanks to a tiny system on the handle when he caught sight of Torunn's smile.

It was a bright and happy smile, one he hadn't seen on her face before. She had her sword at her hip, hand on the handle maybe not even consciously. It seemed to fit her in a natural way. She was made to have a solid weapon at her side. It was the first time he thought somebody looked good with a weapon. She seemed so happy to have it back. He couldn't understand that. Well, maybe he could. Maybe if somebody took his lab, his tech away from him for a long time, he would miss it.

"Paying me a little visit, Director?"  
"How did you manage to have him get your sword back?"  
"I didn't. We spent some time in the lab and when I came back, it was there."  
"I don't believe it."

She sighed. She knew it would cause troubles. She knew it was not going to be easy. She was extremely happy , but she wouldn't be disappointed if they took it away from her again. It was a possible, probable, outcome of the discussion.

"Listen, Son of Coul. If I wanted to kill you with my sword, I would have done it already."  
"The device would have prevented you from doing it."  
"See? I'm not dangerous anymore. Right now, my life is between your hands." "Don't be melodramatic."  
"I'm not. You could choose to have me crossed off. You could choose to keep me in here forever. My lifespan is way longer than yours. I could the most precious piece of evidence of your agency in a few centuries. You could have me tested like you did with that Kree."

Coulson had a slight frown. How could she know about this? Had Ward told her? Had Sif told her? And who else know about the 0-8-4, the GH-325 and all the other serums? What was going to happen then? They had had all this trouble getting rid of Hydra, and now people knew about the Kree. And the writing. It was turning into the most total mess.

"I didn't have a part in this."  
"SHIELD did. SHIELD tortured an innocent being, to extract from him a serum that went against the balance of Nature itself. This shouldn't have existed. You should have stayed dead! But it doesn't stop there. SHIELD asks its agents to terminate some of their enemies. To kill people. Sometimes, they are even innocent persons who have just the sadness to have the most precious capacities! And you think I am a monster."  
"You are a psychopath."  
"Psychopaths don't have empathy. They don't care about lives, people. Do I look like I don't care? Hella is a psychopath. I am not. I am just a loyal little warrior."  
"Your loyalties lay with the wrong person."  
"Not anymore."

And at that time, Fitz turned to him and started to talk, almost fluidly. He talked about what he had done to the sword to keep its molecular structure shapeable at will, to make it less dangerous, the settings of the bracelet that kept her from hitting people. It was mostly sciency stuff that left both of them frowning, but he spoke almost naturally.

"She is not a... psychopath. She's just lost, broken. Like me. Like Skye. Maybe even like you. She would never hurt one of us…. Well maybe Jem… Si… Simmons. But you have to listen to me Coulson. Her parents are… God knows where, pretending to support each other's presence for enough time to find a solution about what they are going to do with her. She's their…. their daughter, and they are not even able to look at her in the eyes. Thor may be an Avenger that saved the Earth, but he is no better than…. than… than Ward's parents who closed their eyes on what was going on in their house. Thor doesn't care about his child. He didn't go to see her, even when she was sick. He doesn't look at the… at the… the.. thing… the monitor to see how she is. Sif doesn't find the courage to go see her daughter yet. But she asks about her. She held her hand when she was shaking in fever, down there in that Vault. Torunn isn't going to hurt us. She is way too hurt for that. She is way too restrained by her own… psychological bonds to do that. Can't you see it?"

Coulson just looked at the two of them with wide eyes. When did that speech come from? He saw the look Fitz gave to the warrior and he recognized a soft glow in them, in the way he held his hand against her shoulder, lightly, as if she was going to get afraid if he touched her differently. There was a deep understanding between the Asgardian and the scientist. He didn't know how it could have formed. It ran between the two, a bond of trust, gratitude, maybe even love.

"The only thing I can see is how this girl has you by her side."  
"I will never hurt anyone on your team, Son of Coul. I swear on my own life. Even the healer girl. They are Grant's family. You are Grant's family."  
"Grant Ward betrayed us. How can he still think we are his family?"  
"You are a hurt and troubled man. I can see that, and I am really pained for you. But your anger may not be directed to the right person."  
"How do you know that?"  
"I guess, your anger makes you blind to the big picture. Yes, Grant betrayed you, but he's regretting that every day. You can't see it"  
"He does not. He is a cold-blooded killer. Like you. Like Hella."  
"This silly behavior of yours has to be stopped soon. You never saw what I saw. I saw true killers out there on the battlefield, fighting to satisfy their bloodthirsty deranged minds. I saw slavery, murder in every possible way. Torture. I felt pains your mortal bodies could not handle. I have more scars than I can count. And you basically say I don't know the difference between a fearful soldier and a primal monster!"  
"Sir, you may... want... let her... talk with you first"

Fitz says stepping in the middle of the other two.

"You're defending Ward?"  
"Not sure, but I nee..Need to hear him first, Sir"

"Too late. It's already done. A team leaves in a couple of hours. To cross him off."  
"What?"

They both said at the same time.

"You heard well. He'll be dead before tonight."  
"Why are you doing that?!"

Torunn said. She was looking at him like he was crazy. She felt Leo's hand nudging hers and wrapping around it, but she was too shocked to process the thought correctly. When she spoke, her voice was different, a little bit broken, betrayed.

"Grant is a good man."  
"He's a monster, and he deserves to die"

Coulson said, trying to ignore the watery eyes of the girl, the way her hand was holding Fitz's one, and the sadness in the young man's eyes.

"You are the monster of the story. He trusted you! He thought you were going to give him a second chance. Because you said to him so many times that everybody could have a second chance, how bad their crimes were. You said it! And now you ordered to kill him."

Coulson stayed in silence. That girl really talked with Ward. He had said that to him, maybe even a few times. The worst thing was... her words, his own words were the real purpose of S.H.I.E.L.D. The organization that protected the humans and gave them a second chance.

"I suppose that will be my sentence too, right?"

She said, and the holding of Leo's hand over hers was stronger.

"This is not up to me. It's up to your parents and the justice of Asgard."

She had a bitter laugh.

"There is no justice on Asgard. Just the will of the Allfather. And the Allfather hates me maybe as much as Thor does. They won't kill me. They think themselves as a civilised people. But I will surely end in a cell for years. Held as a woman among men whom I put into prison. How do you think this will end?"

She shook her head and continued.

"Badly enough to make me wish I had been in Grant's place?"

There was a silence. It lasted. Long enough for the Director to feel awkward and ashamed. Coulson only nodded before getting out. He didn't look at this warrior who knew exactly where to hit to hurt, physically or psychologically. He didn't look to the way Fitz held her hand like she was going to disappear any minute. He had a lot of things to think before going onto the mission. A lot of things to keep his mind from wandering and wondering to much.

* * *

May was working on some boring paperwork. it was the kind of things she didn't miss at all from her desk job. Why had she chosen that in the first place? She did so much better in the field. Maybe because she needed to be bored, to be calm. To forget Bahrain. It was the only reason. Forget Bahrain and the loss of a part of her, the part that laughed, pulled pranks at her friends and didn't give a damn. But now that she had tasted the adrenalin of a mission on the field… She couldn't go back.

She looked at the files. She was supposed to assess if those recruits would be good enough for the Academy. Coulson knew her standards were high. He wouldn't be surprised by the pile of profiles that had failed her examination. And by the only five remaining candidates, on the fifty or so files.

A knock sounded at the door, she sighed in relief and lt the person in. She smiled at Sif who had entered the room. May liked the woman, who seemed cold and detached at first but was really warm and caring when you knew her. They had the same professionalism and perfectionism when it came to getting the job done, and that was sometimes a relief. She really loved Coulson, but sometimes he was more like a grown-up teenager than anything else. The Asgardian sat on the chair in front of her.

"How are you, Sif?"  
"I am good. I'm just out of another quarrel with my beloved prince."

Her last words were full of irony and contempt. May nodded; She had assisted in one of the huge fights between the two gods, and even if it was highly entertaining and they were quite creative when it come to insults, it was sad because Sif had loved the man. She maybe still did.

"And as usual, I almost lost it. Almost. But he didn't got me."  
"Why did he say this time?"  
"He said I was irresponsible because I let Torunn have her sword back."  
"She does?"  
"Yes. But it wasn't my fault. It's the scientist who gave it back to her."  
"Sure, Fitz likes the girl!"

They both smiled. They had seen what was developing between the prisoner and the scientist. Maybe everybody saw it but them. They were so different… They didn't understand very much how they could trust each other that way. Sif winced at the thought.

"You're getting protective of your daughter?"

May teased, earning a light glare from the warrior in front of her.

"I wouldn't want her to do the mistake I did."  
"She is a mistake for you?"  
"No."

They stayed in silence for a couple of seconds, both gone in there respective thoughts. Indeed, Sif didn't think Torunn was a mistake anymore. The first few years, she had lived only to see Torunn's face light up when she entered the room. But then, Thor never showing up and his contempt towards her made her grow bitter and wish it hadn't happen. Now she regretted it. She had missed everything. If she had been there for her, Torunn would have never met Hella. And all of this would have been avoided.

"Have you thought about the Kree problem?"

May looked worried about that. About the girl. She thought of her like some kind of a daughter, Sif could see it. They were connected in a way that pushed May to protect the girl. It was sweet of her.

"Yes, I did. I can try. But I am not master translator."  
"I know. But I would like you to give it a try. Any information would be great."  
"Fine."  
"Skye forced Coulson's hand, to let her go on that mission to kill off Ward. She'll be out for some time. We can go to her room then."  
"Let me know."

The Asgardian stood up and nodded at May. They understood each other enough. Enough to know how it feel when your kid was in trouble. And for both of them, it was the case. The warrior walked away. The corridors didn't seem like a maze anymore. They had spent these weeks, that know had transformed into almost two months. Two months.

* * *

Skye zipped up her boots, checked her gun in her holster. She was determined and was starting to feel the adrenalin of the mission rushing in. She was going to be the one killing him. Finally. After all this waiting. She was going to make him see what he had shaped her into. A killer. His doom. He'd see. He'd die.

"You are ready?"

Carter was standing next to her. She hadn't really accepted the girl into the group. Her motive wasn't good. It was personal. It wasn't good to be blinded by feelings. She knew it. Skye was a great agent. There was no doubt about her skills. She had been trained by Melinda May, the Cavalry, after all. But also by a traitor, some kind of super-spy. She had qualities on the field, qualities not everyone had.

"You're never ready enough."

Her voice was cold and her hand firm. Carter nodded and double-checked her gear and her weapon. That was something she liked to do when she led a team. Double-check. Have the others rely on each-other. She smiled at the girl, appreciating the state of her gear. She asked her to check the others. Skye was surprised but obeyed the orders. Good.

Agent 13 moved to the next person on her check-list. Lance Hunter was ex-military, British guy with a horrible sense of humor and a capacity to be aggressive to his ex-wife that was quite impressive. He was a very skilled man too, but was quite stubborn. she knew him from a couple of missions and was welcomed by an exclamation.

"Carter n°2!" "I told you not to call me that, Hunter."

She smiled. Peggy Carter was the great-niece of one of the historical agents of SHIELD, Peggy Carter. And everybody liked to tease her about it. Well, those who knew her well. Because she usually was cold with the others and that didn't inspire people to joke with her. But Hunter knew her quite well after the years.

"And I told you I was going to continue, as long as you continue rechecking us. We know how to gear up."  
"I just like it…"  
"You knew him?"  
"Ward?"  
"Yeah. I mean, Bobbi and I are basically the only ones not to know who he is. The others already exchanged all their stories about how much of an asshole he was."  
"I didn't know him. I knew his file. But I never met him."  
"Good. We're not the only one in the dark, then."  
"Anyway, he'll be dead before the night falls. This isn't the time to get to know him."

* * *

**Thank you for reading! **

**I still don't really know how to put Skye's new-found powers into my story... Some of you guys have ideas? **

**Don't forget to let me know what you thought. **

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart.**


	17. Heart and Anger

**Hi everybody! **

**Here is the new chapter of Lost Children in the Dark... You were waiting for Skye to finally confront Ward? This is it. The big day. **

**I would like to thank you first for all your support and all the views I get. **

**Here you are, enjoy the chap!**

* * *

Sif let her hands slowly brush the symbols carved on the ceiling and those written on papers, trying to recognize words. It was a familiar sequence of drawings but even if she knew the letters, she wasn't able to read most of them.

She couldn't understand why May was worried. They were everywhere. It seemed that the girl had been in such a state of focus on these runes that she had felt compelled to put them on any surface. The warrior regretted not being able to do more about that than just reading a couple of signs among the multitude of them.

"Do you recognize anything?"

"This is 'stone'."

That was one of the only signs she knew, as it was part of her name. For the Kree, she was the War Goddess with the Heart of Stone. The look on May's face was quite priceless, as she didn't understand why the Hell, stone was a recurring word in the madness her 'daughter' carved everywhere.

"Stone?"

"Yeah. And there is something about war too. But I don't understand the whole sentence. It's something like 'stone hand and fall end of Nine war.'"

"It doesn't make any sense!"

"No. It doesn't."

"Do you see something else? Anything?"

Sif had seen something else. But she had to investigate it before telling anything to MAy. She couldn't let the woman know something that huge and that terrifying without searching about it. What she had seen was utterly horrifying because it could prepare for the End. The Ragnarok. She didn't know how to say it in another language than hers. The Ragnarok.

But she shook her head and explained she didn't know anything else. She had to go back to Asgard quickly, to talk with the sorcerers and holders of legends about it. And she had to explain it to Thor first. She hoped he would take it seriously. They didn't have time for petty quarrels.

"Do you have news from the operation?"

She asked May, to keep her from wondering too much about her new state of mind.

"No. But I trust Carter."

"Not Skye?"

"She is blinded by her history with Ward. It was a bad idea to let her go on that mission."

Sif sighed. She understood May's worries, but she had always thought an aching heart was the best fuel on a battle. That's what she had been told by her master. Fight with your heart but not with your anger. And Skye's heart was not full of anger.

* * *

He heard footsteps. He knew people were attacking them. He had heard it. And now somebody was coming to get him. Surely to shoot him right in the chest while his back was turned. Crossing him off once and for all, leaving SHIELD with one less problem. And just Hella to catch. He thought they wanted to kill her too but couldn't, since she was Asgard's jurisdiction. The footsteps stopped. But the bullet never came.

"Hello Ward. Missed me?"

Skye was standing there with a gun aimed at his chest. She was more beautiful than ever. Her long dark brown hair were tucked up in a high ponytail, the tactical suit fitting her well. She was looking at him right in the eyes, deadly. But he was glad to see her. If somebody had to kill him, he was glad it was her.

"You don't have any idea!"

"Oh yeah... I do..."

She approached and punched him square in the jaw. He felt his lip splitting and blood bubbling on the surface. It hurt.

"Ouch! Why did you hit me?"

"Because you deserve it!"

She hissed furiously.

"What did I do now? " He said hurt,"I came back to you!"

He didn't understand. Why was she so angry with him? Well apart from the Hydra thing and all the deaths behind him.

"Yeah. You came back. But you didn't wonder if I wanted you to come back?"

"I have to take that risk"

"So I took the risk to be part of that termination team."

"Termination? "

"We are here for you, Ward. You understand what that means?"

He knew. They were here to terminate him. He was going to die. By her hand. She never lowered her gun. He had a sad smile. At least she would be the one to end his life.

"I do"

"Why are you smiling, then?"

"I'll die, but you will be the last thing I'll see, that gives me peace"

"I am the one who is going to kill you. You see what you made me become? A murderer!"

"I'm sorry. "

He answered almost crying, standing up in front of her, holding up his hands. She looked so ruthless. For a moment he forgot the cuts on his torso, but the sudden movement opened his wounds again making him moan in pain.

"Ward?"

She asked, trying not to sound so worried. He couldn't see she was worried, she was there to kill him.

"Nothing."

She looked at him, not saying anything else. Before she approached. Close.

"How many?"  
"What?"  
"How many wounds to you have?"

"Too many"

The re-opened wound was bleeding. It was one of the last ones, the most recent. His t-shirt was starting to get dark red and humid.

"Who did this to you?" He doesn't answer "Ward!, who did this?"  
"Hella"

Skye was scared, why did this girl have to hurt him? He worked for her! What the hell was going on with her? Maybe… Maybe he wasn't so guilty after all. Maybe it was Hella… No, no she couldn't think that. She couldn't.

"Why?"  
"Because I'm too outspoken for her. And because I care. Because I don't want to make people suffer."

"Ward..."

He couldn't stand the look in her eyes, the pity. He hated it.

"No, please! Don't look at me like that, please, don't be sorry for me "

"I'm not. I'm not sorry for you."  
"Good. Gonna kill me now?"  
"You could have disarmed me."

"I'm not going to do that"

She looked at him like he was crazy.

"Why? Doesn't living matter to you?"

"No, I deserve this, I killed so many good people, I hurt my friends, my family... I hurt you Skye, and you'll never forgive me for that. "

"It's true. I will never forgive you. Ever. What you did... But you don't deserve to be hurt by anyone but me."

"Just kill me! And tell Torunn she was right"

He reached for her gun, driving her hand to his head. He felt the barrel on his temple and it was shaking slightly. Would she shoot? She would. He was sure. He closed his eyes after taking in one deep breath.

"Right about what?"

He opened his eyes, surprised. Why was she asking that? She was there to kill. Not to chat with him.

Skye heard her com buzzing and the voice of Carter resounded in her ear. The woman explained the change of orders quickly to a half-crestfallen half-relieved young agent. But she wanted to know what the Asgardian had told him. She couldn't admit she was a little bit jealous of the link between the two of them.

"That's not important. Do it."  
"Ward. Right about what?"

"I'm not a monster, but I deserve to die like one, "

He closed his eyes again. Her face was behind his eyelids, in his brain. She was the last thing he'd see before dying, the first he saw when he started to live for himself. She woke up a weakness inside him, for the first time in his whole life he wanted something for himself. He sighed.

"She said that?"

"Do you want me to do it myself? You don't seem to have the nerve of doing it yourself."

"Ward..."

Under his hand, her skin was so warm, so familiar to him... He was ready to die, if only he could hug her for a moment, just for a moment, if only… He wrapped his finger around hers, since she couldn't do it. He'd do it.

"Don't do that."

"What?"

She had new orders. She couldn't let himself kill him. He looked at her. What was she doing? Why was she saying that? SHIELD wanted him dead.

"You'd do better in custody than dead. You could be interrogated."  
"Are you going to interrogate me?"

She almost smiled. Almost. He still didn't understand but he could try and get some humor in the party. It could not be worse. He saw her eyes twinkling and fraction of second before going back to a more serious face.

"You wish!"

"Skye."  
"Shut up."

She put her gun back in her holster. He frowned. She took his wrist and turned his arm behind his back. Quite forcefully, making him gasp because of the sudden pain. He was surprised.

"What the?"

She cuffed him. He felt the metal closing around his wrists. Tight. Oh she was not going to let him go that easily. She knew about what he could do to escape. But he didn't say anything, not a sound. He deserved every bad treatment he get. She guided him, pushing him in the back so he was in front of him and she could see his hands.

All this walk through the corridors of where he was in, he heard her exchanging with her team leader. Headquarters didn't trust her enough to put her on the head, uh? They were right on this time. Never let someone with a clouded judgement to lead a termination team. Or any team.

"Target securised. Going back to extraction point. Over.…. Agent 13? 13? You copy?"

One moment of silence. Before a sigh of relief from Skye.

"What do you mean an agent is down?"

"That means he's injured or dead, Skye."

"You there, shut up and walk."

Then, he saw her. Hella. The reflection of the mirror showed her face, with that sadistic grin on the half of her mouth not covered by any metal. She was behind Skye, with her sword clear and risen in the air, ready to strike. His heart stopped for a second. Just the time it took his brain to figure out what he was going to do. Ward turned quickly, offering his own back to the blade. Hella didn't have the time to redirect the blow. It cut him, there was blood and a scream escaped him. The pain rushed through his nerves, setting his brain on fire. He couldn't think.

"Ward!"

"Feelings caused your end, warrior!"

Skye can't help but scream. He was on the floor, too much blood coming from his back. She knew Hella was still there, and reacted immediately. She turned, took her gun and shoot. Hella roared in pain.

"You mortal!"

The bullet had gone through her arm. But Skye didn't look at her anymore. She called for back-up, took Ward with her. He didn't walk steadily. He was bleeding heavily. He was a dead weight on her shoulder but she was strong enough. She just needed everything to be ready when she came to the extraction point.

"Target is harmed. Need medical support right now. Second target injured, on the loose. Two gun wounds, right arm. Over."

She shouted in her earpiece. He felt the burn of his whole back. He had never taken a sword wound that important before. It hurt. Maybe even more than a bullet. It was all over his brain, the blinding pain, he couldn't think about anything else and he felt the strength running away from his body.

"Don't you dare to die on me Ward!"  
"I can't make you any promises, but I'll try. You were supposed to be the one to kill me."

He whispered. She almost smiled again. He was so weak, it made her feel bad for wishing his death. No, no. He was still a douchebag.

"I'll be. Now walk, big idiot."

"Yes, ma'am"

Their tones were almost tender to each other, hers in particular. They walked slowly when the lack of blood made him weak and dizzy, shaking on his feet.

When they finally arrived to the van where Simmons was with the med gear, Skye almost had to fight against her to make her take care of the bleeding prisoner. The girl stayed by his side all the time, unconsciously, she couldn't let him go again. He screamed when the antiseptic burned his back, biting down on a gag to keep from biting his tongue to blood. She stayed, even if all the blood made her want to throw up, when she saw the torn flesh. He was awake all the time, never letting go of any bit of consciousness he could.

She told him what had happened with the team when he was away. He asked about Torunn of course, and she told him how fast the link between Fitz and her had turned the awkward scientist into the girl's bodyguard. He laughed, coughed and moaned in pain as a result. She felt guilty but he just shook his head at her and told her it was ok.

They started their journey back to the base. She hated to see him stiffen every time the car would move abruptly. He fell asleep after a while and she hated herself. Because she couldn't help but smile when seeing his features all relaxed. Because she let his head end on her shoulder, then on her lap when he slept. Because she couldn't push him away. And when he groaned in pain in his sleep, her hands stroked his face lightly. And she noted he had shaven his beard since the battle, since the last time she saw him but it had grown back a little into a light scruffy stubble. She didn't really like it.

She was angry with him, but now, seeing him so vulnerable, hurt... She remembered Torunn's words... that damn girl was right. He could have fled, but he stayed. He was basically begging her to being killed and he ended saving her life... It only let two options. He was either totally crazy or he loved her... and both options scared her out of her wits.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought, I love hearing your thoughts! **

**Until next time, **

**The Queen of Heart**


	18. Of War and Legends

**Hi everyone!**

**Sorry for not posting next week. Hope this new chapter _ although shorter than usual _ will please you!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Thor was bored. No fighting, nothing interesting to do on that realm, and his beloved Jane didn't seem to want to pick up her phone so they could meet. He hadn't fight with Sif in a while _understand a couple of hours_ and his daughter _not that he wanted to see her_ was not around. He walked up the corridor to what the mortals called a living room and stopped there, dead in his tracks, because of some little noise, some buzzing.

It came closer to him and he tensed, not knowing what the sound was, and clearly estimating it as a threat. The buzzing intensified. He looked around, summoning Mjölnir. A flying device disappeared in the corner of his vision. He frowned.

Mjölnir appeared in his right hand. The buzzing didn't stop. This metal creature was definitely stupid enough to decide to challenge him this way. He turned on himself, slowly, so he could catch the device. It indeed didn't work. So he waited.

He was standing there, in the middle of the corridor, with his hammer in his hand and looking definitely annoyed and ready to fight. He waited like that for a couple of minutes until a flying device appeared again, at the corner of his vision. He moved quickly, but the weapon he was wielding didn't get far. It didn't even grazed the object.

The buzzing changed into a little bleep, that sounded like the device was mocking him. He frowned.

"Who are you creature of metal? How dare you mock the Prince of Asgard, God of Thunder and Lightning?"

A real giggle resounded this time. He looked around him, forgetting for a moment the buzzing object. Buzzing object which decided the moment to prank Thor had arrived. It flew closer. When Thor turned his head again, it was just right under his nose. It made him jump a little in surprise. The device answered by sending a splash of freezing water into his face. And the laughter started again.

He followed the sound until he found the lab. Behind the huge windows, he saw the young mortal scientist Fitz with what seemed like a control thing in his hands. The device flew back to him and landed on the table. Near the scientist, laughing in a very unlady-like way, was Thor's daughter.

Head thrown back, she was in the middle of a tremendous fit of giggle, and the man in front of her looked positively fascinated by the high-pitched sound. He walked into the room and coughed loudly. Torunn's watery eyes caught his and the laughter flicked to something different, almost awkward. After all, she was half-collapsed on the man's shoulder, and he was hugging her.

"Oh Father! You should have seen your face!"

She exclaimed joyfully, swallowing back another giggle with difficulty. The hand of the man left her side when Thor looked at him, frowning.

"It was your idea, Daughter?"

"Positively, dear Prince of Asgard!"

She mocked his voice, and Fitz couldn't help but chuckle to how happy she looked. She chatted with her father for a while. For the first time, she didn't hiss back aggressively. She was just chatting, clinging to his shoulder. They bickered like a father and his daughter should. Well, that's what Leo thought. He had never had a good relationship with his father.

Thor kept a frown on his face basically all the time because of the way the two youngsters were close to each other. He didn't like that. At all. That's when she started to talk about Frigga. She didn't know Frigga had died, she was too closed off on her own problems for that. She talked about the things the Queen talked to her about him. And he tried not to tell her that she wouldn't see her master again.

"Did Mother say that?"

His tone was between the interested and the bored, because he was bored and didn't really care about what she was saying. She was crazy. He had seen it with his own eyes, the way she had attacked her mother with that rage and that bloodthirst. She was meant to be in prison. Not here, laughing with that Midgardian man.

She felt the way he was glaring at Leo. How dared he do that? He had never cared about her, and now that she had found somebody who cared, he went waltzing back. With that glare and frown.

"Since when did you become so contemptuous, Father? Since when did the bullshit Odin say affect you? Why are you even here and not with your Midgardian lover, Jane Foster?"

And it was back to the screams, and insults and threats. And It was back to the point they were before. War.

* * *

MISSION REPORT N° 201889HYZ7

DATE: 2015/01/28

STATUS: COMPLETED

PROJECT: NONE

PLACE: SALMON, ID, USA

ORDER:

Original: Terminate ex-SHIELD agent went rogue Grant Ward.

Order changed H+0.5.

Completed: Apprehend ex-SHIELD agent went rogue Grant Ward. Terminate if threat.

TEAM:

Team Leader:

Level 6 Agent 13 Sharon Carter

Field Agents:

Level 4 Agent Lance Hunter, Level 5 Agent Barbara "Bobbi" "Mockingbird" Morse, Level 5 Agent Felix Blake, Level 5 Agent Gregory Pierce and Level 2 Agent Skye.

Medical Support:

Level 5 Agent Jemma Simmons.

REPORT:

Target: Apprehended

Agent Skye tasked to terminate subject. When orders changed, Agent Skye apprehended subject. Subject harmed during altercation with Asgardian fugitive Hella Lokisdottir of Helheim. Agent Skye brought subject back to med truck.

Casualties:

Agent Felix Blake was killed by Asgardian fugitive Hella Lokisdottir of Helheim. Sword.

15 men from enemy's army. Bullets.

Ammos.

TIME:

Team left SHIELD base: Playground (location confidential), HQ, at H-3.

Agents infiltrated base at H.

Agents Skye, Morse and Hunter were tasked to find subject. Agent Skye tasked to terminate him. Agents Morse and Hunter protected Agent Skye until they found Grant Ward. Agent Skye took care of subject. Agents Morse and Hunter secured the ward of the building. Eventually were called as back-up by Agents Blake, Pierce and Carter.

Order changed by HQ at H+0.5.

Agent Blake was killed by Asgardian fugitive. Asgardian fugitive harmed subject as an attempt to harm Agent Skye.

Agent Skye got back to extraction point at H+1.

Agent Simmons refused to take care of Prisoner Ward. Changed her mind quickly after, under pressure of Agent Skye. Behavior could count as disobeying orders. Sanctions to be taken by Agent Carter as team leader and senior agent.

Agents Carter, Morse, Hunter and Pierce got back at H+1.5.

Team arrived at SHIELD base: Playground (location confidential), HQ, at H+5.

Subject was taken into med bay at arrival.

Debriefing with Level 9 Director Philip Coulson at H+6 (joined report of the debriefing).

REPORT BY: AGENT 13 SHARON CARTER, LEVEL 6.

* * *

Once in the Nine Realms, up was Asgard ,the golden home of the Æsir, the race of the gods and goddesses of war and power, such as Odin, Thor and Sif. On the same level of the world lay Vanaheim, home of the Vanir, the fertility and magic gods and goddesses, such as Frigga. In the "golden era" of the distant past, the gods lived in harmony, playing games in the meadows.

One day, Gullveig, a Vanir, visited Odin in his hall at Asgard. Gullveig could talk of nothing but her love for gold. The Æsir loathed listening to such talk, and decided that the world would be better off without her. They seized her, riddled her body with spears, and threw her onto the fire in the center of the hall. She burned to death, but stepped whole out of the flames. Twice more, she was seized, killed, and burned. Twice more, she walked whole out of the flames. She was a seer and enchantress, the mistress of evil magic.

When the Vanir heard how the Æsir had welcomed Gullveig, they swore vengeance and began to prepare for war. Odin, sitting in his high seat in his palace Valaskjálf, saw the preparations, and soon the Æsir, too, prepared for war. The gods moved against each other. Odin cast his spear into the host of the Vanir. Thus, the first war began.

The Vanir quickly gained the upper hand. Using magic, they reduced the walls of Asgard to rubble. The Æsir moved forward, and caused similar damage to Vanaheim. The battle raged, and the longer it went on, the more clear it became that neither side was likely to win.

The gods wearied and decided to meet to discuss terms. They argued about the origin of the war, and whether the Æsir alone were responsible, or whether both sides were entitled to tribute. In the end, they decided to live together in peace. To enforce this agreement, leaders from the two sides were exchanged as hostages.

Njord and his daughter Frigga, who were the leading Vanir, traveled to Asgard. Frigga would become the Queen of the Golden Realm. In exchange, the Æsir sent Hœnir and Mímir to Vanaheim. The Vanir appointed Hœnir to be one of their leaders.

With the wise Mímir at his side, Hœnir was unfailing. But without Mímir, Hœnir seemed incapable of making a decision. "Let someone else decide," he would always say.

The Vanir suspected that they had been tricked, and that they had gotten the worse part of the bargain in the exchange of leaders. For revenge, they hacked off the head of Mímir and sent it by messenger back to Odin and the Æsir.

Odin cradled the head, smearing it with herbs and chanting magical charms over it. The head was preserved from decay and given the power of speech, so that Mímir could always share his wisdom with Odin.

Frigga who was wise with magical knowledge taught Odin the magic called _seiðr_, which carried great power. He could learn men's fates, see the future, bring death and misery, or transfer intellect and strength from one man to another. But this magic was so unseemly and effeminate that it was thought shameful for men to have anything to do with it.

Magic was drawn but the war had stopped. There were casualties, there is always. But the one that didn't strike back was the winner. They gained the wisdom from the magical mouth of Mimir. There is always a gain and a loss in war, however equal the outcome tend to be.

This was how the terrible war between the Æsir and the Vanir began and ended. How the path was cleared for other wars of the Men after that of the Gods.

* * *

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	19. Sleep

**Hi everyone! **

**As you surely noted, I have stopped updating every week. Now I'll just do it every other week, because I'm getting overwhelmed by schoolwork. **

**Anyway, I hope you'll like that new chapter. **

**A/N dear friend, this is revenge.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The water was scalding hot, she was going to get burnt, but she needed to forget what he had done for her. He was on the edge of death right now, while Simmons and the other doctors of SHIELD were trying to reconstruct what had been damaged and bring him back.

She had touched his hands, his wrists and arms, she had wrapped her arm around his waist to support his weight when they made their way from where he had taken the hit to the extraction point. The heat of the water now replaced the warmth of his familiar hand. She knew all its calls and all and all its strength. It almost felt right when she held the weight of a gun in her hand with his fingers around hers. She had been back on the Bus for a flash, before Hydra and Garrett and everything.

She hated the memories she had of him back then. She still remembered the first time she had seen him smile, when they were playing boardgames. That smile tugging on the corners of his lips, showing some teeth, and the little light in his eyes, some twinkle in these pools of darkness? It had warmed her and it had been the first time her heart missed a beat when she saw him.

There was only one step between finding someone handsome and actually falling in love and she had jumped right over the border. She had fell head over heels in his trap and he had seemed to follow.

But now she knew. She knew who he was, what he had done. But the cuts, and the sadness and the sacrifice he had made of his life for hers….That woke up something inside her. _You woke up a weakness inside me._

She offered her face to the stream of water as a vain attempt at washing away the thoughts. Her fingers traced in the steam on the walls of the shower the symbols she dreamt of.

The symbols had stopped appearing, as the blue color of her skin. But he was still here, more vivid than ever. His face, his eyes, his light scruff, it seemed so real. God, she hated that.

Couldn't she have killed him when she could? Couldn't she had stayed out of SHIELD's radar in the first place?

She turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, the air felt cold on her red skin. Still better than blue. She put on some clothes and walked out of the bathroom, tugging her wet hair into a ponytail.

"I was wondering whether or not you were going to drown yourself, mortal."

She jumped in surprise. The Asgardian warrior _who was supposed to be a prisoner_ was standing here. She looked sad, angry and definitely bitter.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk with you. To know how it felt to kill Grant."

That was why she was angry. From what she had caught, Skye had learnt the two psychos had come close the weeks they were together. Would Fitz be jealous about their link once Ward would be awaken? Why was Fitz even able of dealing with that girl so easily and with such trust?

The whole team saw how something was growing between the scientist and the warrior, but Skye couldn't understand how it was even possible. Fitz wasn't the one to get in troubles, he prefered following the rules. She looked over at the woman who was still watching her with her blue eyes.

Skye didn't trust her, had never trusted her. She was cruel and she had seen her fighting her mother with fury and a real want to make blood flow.

"I didn't kill him."

The silence was tensed and surprised. The blue eyes were suspiciously narrowed at her. She could understand how difficult it could be to believe it, after all she had said about the pleasure she would take in killing Grant Ward…

"Don't play games with me, young girl."

How old was the Asgardian? That was a question she wanted to ask to the three of them. Torunn looked just more than 20, and her parents not more than 30. But she knew it wasn't possible.

"I'm not playing games. I didn't kill him. He is in the med bay."

"Why?"

Genuine concern here.

"Your friend Hella armed him. Well she tried to kill me, but that idiot took the blow for me. Sword wound down all his back."

"Oh Odin!"

Again with the concern. One deep sigh, she closed her eyes a moment, shaking her head, visibly blaming herself. But he was going to be ok, right?

"But you didn't kill him."

"No. I couldn't. But I swear to God, if you tell me something in the lines of 'I told you so' I'll get angry."

"Lack of sleep make you aggressive."

Torunn knew what lack of sleep did to one's state of mind, or body. The heavy limbs, the lack of focus, everything that came from the insomnia. She knew that the first couple of days, everything was brighter and you felt more energetic, always running around. But then came the tiredness, weighing on your shoulders. And you went to sleep early, you forced yourself, but you just stayed awake, staring at the ceiling for hours.

Skye sighed. She was sleep deprived, yes. But she wasn't the only one. Nobody on that damn base slept enough.

Fitz was insomniac too, but it wasn't new for him. He could manage it just ok, knew just when to drink coffee for the effect to keep him from falling. He knew what to do, had built a routine around it in the years. May was like that, she never slept. Well she had to, sometimes, but whenever Skye was awake, she would be. Coulson said she had always been like that. Coulson was only sleep deprived because of the work. Being Director kept him from sleeping enough.

She knew from talks with Fitz that the warrior in front of her, wasn't much of a sleeper either. How did she manage? She never seemed tired, never showed one sign of being weakened a little. She was always strong-minded and always kept her head high. She was facing everybody. Even herself.

"How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Staying focused. Never be tired."

A light chuckle came from the warrior. Her blonde hair didn't move when she threw her head back to look at the decorated ceiling. She had a little sad smile. Skye looked at the little sadness in her eyes. She could see there was more behind the rock-hard appearance of the girl. Something that Fitz only could see for now.

"Oh, darling, I have a couple of hundreds of years of training."

* * *

Coulson looked tensed and restless. She knew he hadn't been sleeping a lot these days. But she didn't know it was at the point he stood up only because of caffeine. They had been having quite a talk about Skye and Ward and everything going on in the Playground. And it was quite the number of unpredicted events considering the state of the SHIELD organization, and the supposedly secret location of the base.

"Phil you'll do the same thing"

Her voice was almost slightly bored.

"Right... But still..."

She rolled her eyes at that. He was so damn stubborn!

"Still what?"

"He's a traitor."

"Said the man who changed his termination order for a 'bring him in' one..."

It was his time to roll his eyes.

"Did you heard the record of that mission?"

"Not yet."

"Do it. Quick."

"I don't a minute free, May!"

He had a deep sigh. Their relationship was more and more difficult with the kids around and the Asgardians. The sleep deprivation made him grumpy and aggressive. But he still didn't have one minute.

"Find one"

"Should I cut on the time we spend together?"

It was not a funny comment as he usually did. this one was biting and almost mean and she looked at him strangely.

"Don't try to be smart with me, just call the archives and make them send these records to you."

"You can still debrief me about it."

Why was he so stubborn? She unwillingly started to tell what it was about. Because if she wanted to have some reactions from him, she had to do it now.

"Better you heard some parts for yourself, but, Ward was severely injured during his time with that psycho."

He frowned at her. What had the traitor done again? It wouldn't be the first time he injured himself.

"How severely?"

"According to Simmons report, he got around 20 new scars on his neck, face and torso. All are from sword cuts, deep enough to hurt considerably."

"He was tortured?"

He asked. Hella had made him escape. She was supposed to be his partner in crime, not his torturer. This didn't make any sense.

"He's still out from the anesthetic. We'll know more once he's been interrogated. According to the recording, when Skye talked to him, he said it was some kind of punishment from Hella."

"Punishment? "

That was the last thing he was expecting. Punishment for what? What was going on?

"Please, call home and make them send that audio records to me"

"On is going on. And we don't know what. But I think we accused some people too quickly."

"You think?"

He said, looking at her, knowing perfectly she was damn right. But he had never trusted easily and, after the betrayal from Ward, his trust was even harder to give. And the Asgardian girl wasn't the kind of person who gained trust at first sight.

"You know how much I hate saying that but we should have listened to that girl."

That was a lot coming from May. He sighed. She was right.

" We will talk to her again soon"

May winced. He almost smiled at her protective look suddenly. She muttered a string of words.

"I don't like you being down there alone with her."

He chuckled.

"She's not going to hurt me..."

"You'd bring Fitz with you... cheater!"

He laughed this time, openly.

"True. That's one way of doing it."

He saw her closed off look and untrusty eyes. He took a step forward, touching her shoulder lightly.

"Stop worrying..."

She moved away, walking to the door. Her eyes only left his face to find the knob of the door.

"I'll be back"

She said, leaving him alone.

She needed to find Skye before he did, with all those angry thoughts in both their minds, a fight between them is the last thing that needed to happen.

* * *

The heels of her armored boots resounded against the marble floor. Sif hadn't really miss the pump and ceremonies of Asgard after all. The corridor wasn't empty, at the contrary. She had already seen dozens of courtiers, who all knew her and wanted to talk with her, alas. She managed to avoid most of them. They were all wearing dresses, were perfumed and their hair were styled perfectly. She felt self-conscious and awkward with her battle armor and simple hairdo.

The walls were shining, as usual, glittering spears. She had gone through the main corridor, in front of the five hundred and forty doors, wide enough to allow the passage of eight hundred warriors abreast, and she faced the principal gate where were a boar's head and an eagle whose piercing glance penetrated to the far corners of the world watching from above. The roof was of golden shields, and the benches were decorated with fine armor, Odin's gifts to his guests.

From the high windows, she caught a glimpse of the quivering rainbow bridge, the Bifröst. She turned her head again, and the sight this time wasn't as charming. In the blink of an eye, her jaw was set, fists clenched. Before her was Lorelei.

The Goddess was free of any restraint, using her enchanted voice and its power of control over a couple of tall warriors. She looked at Sif right in the eyes and left her sighing suitors with a smile.

"Sif! Isn't it a pleasure to see you in here?"

"Unrequited, if I may."

Sif grumbled between closed teeth.

"Oh, darling, believe me. You'll see me in these parts, oftener than you wish."

"Weren't you imprisoned?"

"I caught the eye of a certain high-placed gentleman, you know how it is… Well, what am I saying, of course you don't. No man would want such a brute… They see enough of armor on the battlefield."

She touched the shining metal of Sif's armor and sighed contemptuously.

"They want more femininity… When was the last time you dressed as a lady, Sif? Was it when the Prince himself thought you were desirable enough? But his tastes are highly questionable… He seems to have a thing for the muddy type, or the Midgardians… Maybe saw he in you the most Midgardian of the Asynjur?"

The slap made the whole corridor go silent. Lorelei looked at her over her reddened cheek, at the hand still in the air. Pure fury was readable in her gaze.

"You'll regret that, Sif. I promise you, when I am Queen, I'll make you pay."

* * *

**Here you are!**

**Little note; Asynjur means Asgardian ladies in Old Norse. **

**Hope you enjoyed that! **

**Don't forget to review!**

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	20. Give her back to me

**Hi everyone. **

**Today we see the aftermath of what happened before. Will Skye go see Ward? How will he be, physically and emotionally? Everybody is now drowning in that complete mess I created, and you know what? That's something I like!**

**No torturing you much longer. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

Beep.

Pain.

Beep.

Pain.

Beep.

Hot white knives carving his back.

Beep.

Scars of fire down his skin.

Beep.

The feeling of violated expense of skin. The feeling of wounds.

_Don't you dare die on me, Ward._

Skye's face. Skye's touch. Skye's voice. Was this heaven? Was he dead? No, he remembered now. The sword cutting him deep. At least she wasn't dead. He tried to move, and the pain caused by the tensing of his muscles was almost too much to bear. He had never felt that bad before, never been in a suffering that intense.

Suddenly, the pain eased. He felt numb now, it was strange and he finally decided to open his eyes.

It was clear, blinding. The beeps bugging him since he had gain back consciousness were due to the electrocardiograph. He was in an hospital, or a med bay. So he wasn't dead. Or the Man Upstairs had a pretty funny idea of Heaven.

"Here you go…"

That was Simmons' voice. Why was she taking care of him? She was humming a little, not caring whether or not he was awake. He felt something moving on his back, and the bandage lifting. He bit down on his lip not to scream. He only succeeded in tasting his blood, and changing the scream into a moan.

What she put on his wounds was cool. Liquid and cool. And it burnt.

"Will you shut up, one minute?"

Her voice was annoyed and commanding, he was surprised. Something had changed in the sweet Simmons he knew before. She was rougher, darker. Or maybe was it just with him. He tried as much as he could to relax. Pain again.

The bandage was replaced. The pain was soothed a little now. It was not great but it was better than earlier. He was lying on his front on a med table. The beeping was still here. He had barely registered the peak in frequency when she took 'care' of him.

How was Skye? And Torunn? He wondered about them. Thinking about it, it was strange to get so attached with somebody in such a little time. He fell back to sleep at that moment.

"Let me see him! Simmons, please!"

It was her. She was shouting and begging and there was something in her voice… As if she was crying. He wanted to get up, and run to her, and hold her tight, forget the world around of them. But every single tensing of one muscle brought the pain back, stronger than any painkillers.

"Simmons!"

He agreed wholeheartedly with her. Simmons had to let her come. His eyes shot open and he caught a glimpse of her face. She was still beautiful with the tears and the lack of rest. She was always beautiful.

How much time had he slept? How much since the 'capture'? What had happened? And still the pain holding him back. He was supposed to be stronger than this for God's sake! He was supposed to be a specialist cut from kevlar, cold and detached, and staying the same, able of shooting anything and killing anyone. He was supposed to compartmentalize everything, to be able to put the pain in a corner of his brain and forget it. And now he was nailed to the bed because his back hurt to much for words.

He hated it. He hated everything. Simmons' aggressive words when she pushed Skye away from the doors. Hella's sword, cutting down his flesh so often. The guards at the Fridge and their fists on him. Garrett, and the Hydra agents, making him 'tougher' or 'better'. Garrett again, before everything, leaving him alone in the wild. Christian and the hits too. Everybody. He hated everybody.

The sadness, and love and pain was mixing up into a dangerous pit of anger and hate and he couldn't help but clench his fist and his teeth. He couldn't help but tense and feel the pain washing away everything again. He couldn't keep one string of thoughts for God's sake!

"Simmons, for the last time…"

"It's Coulson's orders!"

Silence. The only thing breaking it was the beeping of the device. She was holding back tears and he was almost breathless. Coulson didn't want them to see each other. Coulson hated him. He knew that already. Of course he did. But why saving him then?

The door slammed. Skye was gone. He heard the footsteps of Simmons coming back toward him.

"What a mess for you, Ward... This dead agent... Skye making a tantrum... You just couldn't stay forgotten in a corner, right ?"

He guessed he couldn't. The words hurt deeper than he wanted them too. It was strange now. As if all his training had gone away after those periods of inactivity and unconsciousness. He was letting in everything, every emotion he usually repressed back in a corner of his brain. Maybe was it the excruciating pain. Maybe was it the happiness of seeing Skye again, and the pain of having her away from him afterwards… Everything was blurred and painful. And without warning, everything went black again.

* * *

Torunn's motions were controlled. She had tested the limits of the bracelet too many times but now she knew what she could do without getting electrocuted. It was not much but it was sufficient to keep her muscles in shape. She hadn't trained properly in a long time though, and she missed it. But she was grateful to be a prisoner here.

It allowed way more freedom than many prisons of species supposedly superior. She winced at the uncomfortable memory of being held upside down by her feet one time. It had been a short stay, only a few days, but she remembered having rock-hard abs after that; her only hobby being trying to touch her feet with her hands, then her legs with her chin.

Actually these days, she could basically only do basic muscular work-out, and almost not use her sword. She didn't really like it. But the time she spent with Leo worthed it all a hundred times.

At the two-hundredth push-up, she stopped and get back on her feet. Her hands moved slowly up, touching each other. She stretched her whole body upwards. Her joints protested.

"What are you doing?"

That was not the voice of her joints. That was the voice of her father. She sighed. This meant hurtful comments, and trouble. She turned to the door to see him. He was standing up the few steps leading to the cell's door.

"Training, Father. Well, at least trying."

"You're a prisoner. You shouldn't even be able to move freely."

"I know. But they do as they want with me, right? I'm _their _prisoner."

She changed her position and looked at him.

"Are you here for something else than scolding me?"

"Watch your tone."

"Don't act like you care about what I do or say."

Her tone, the one he wanted her to change, was cold and sarcastic.

"You spent too much time with the psychotic daughter of Loki."

"If you had been there for me, I wouldn't have."

"Over, child! I shall not be spoken to like an ape!"

She chuckled. She didn't even look at him. It was like he was there but she pushed him away. He was there, he was talking to her, but she was blocking the words from hurting her. He walked closer to her and, before she saw it, he picked up her sword which was lying on the floor. Her eyes widened and she rushed forward, but he had it already in his hand.

"Give her back."

"So your blade is a 'she'? A warrior's weapon is strong. A woman's not."

"For you, a warrior can't be a woman. The idea that women are weaker than men is a total myth. I thought you had seen enough great warriors on a battlefield. Female warriors carrying swords and killing as much and as bravely as men. You fell, even if shortly, for the one of us Ӕsir whose domain is war."

"Sif…"

"Yes. My mother. And who taught me how to fight? None other that one of the best swordsmen. A woman. Your own mother. Queen Frigga. Don't dare tell me that I shall not name my sword a 'she', when I come from such a lineage of astounding female warriors."

She simply held up her hand, looking at him right in the eyes. She had his blue orbs, his daring look, but the fire burning deep within her was different from his. Everybody could see he was kin to her. There was a touch of him in each of her features, her blonde hair_ though darker than his_, their eyes, the way they were standing, walking, fighting.

But she had grown despising him for the weak, oblivious, ashamed man he was. That was why she was not fond of him waltzing back in her life and giving her lessons. She was daring him. She was challenging him to fight with her if he wanted to test the value of a woman in combat. Him the master of the fire in the sky, when she was chained to Earth by the fire of Midgard, the electricity. Would she defeat him?

"Give her back."

* * *

It was going to end badly. He knew it. He knew it. Thor had taken her sword, and that wasn't going to end well for him if he didn't hand it right back. Like very badly.

He stood up from his observation point behind the monitors in the lab and walked to te door. He had to stop it now before it became uncontrollable. He knew what kind of rage stood in her heart. He knew it. He had it. He had to go there and make things all right.

"Don't go, smart man."

Sif was standing near the door. She had surely seen what was going on down there, she was so specific about it. Why shouldn't he go? He felt like he had to protect that girl from the rage and the wrath caused by her father.

"This is not your fight."

"Not yours either."

She had a bitter smile. He realized how much her daughter could look like her now. The same sad upturn of lips, the way they would frown at things.

"Let me tell you a story."

It wasn't a question. They walked back to the lab and he sat near the monitors, looking at the scene. They hadn't started to fight yet. They were oddly calm. She took a deep breath.

"This tale we learned from our parents. But I guess both Thor and I should have listened with more care."

He looked up at her. She was going to tell him tales of Asgard, a legend of the Gods. He knew some of them already from the girl facing her father in a vault.

"Then I should listen to you. And not repeat your mistake."

She nodded, eyes brighter, almost proudly.

"Fenrir was a wolf from the darkest forest of Asgard. He grew so rapidly and in such gigantic proportion that the gods feared it. The gods pretend to play game of binding the wolf, to see if it could free itself. Fenrir agreed to play the game if someone would place his or her hand in Fenrir's giant mouth. Only the war-god Tyr was fearless enough to place his hand in its mouth.

The gods found nothing could bind the wolf, until they received a magical silk ribbon called Gleipnir, created by dwarfs. This ribbon was made of _noise of a cat_, _beard of woman_, _breath of a fish_ and _spittle of a bird_. When Fenrir could not escape, he realised he was tricked by the gods, when they refused to release him. In revenge, Fenrir bit off Tyr's hand. Thereafter, Tyr was known as the _One-handed God_."

That was how they had done it. Tricking the beast into a trap. And the beast was now escaping and turning back on them. She paused and continued, the echo with her own situation, or actually the one of the God of Thunder, was evident.

"When Ragnarök arrived, Fenrir broke free from his fetter, and joined the other giants and monsters in a war against the gods. Fenrir fought against Odin, until the wolf killed and devoured Odin. Vidar avenged his father's death, by ripping Fenrir's jaw apart with his bare hands."

It had started and ended with the never-ending cruelty of the Gods and the men. It was always that way. A beast could be restrained but, men should beware the fate upon them when it came free. Both Thor and Sif had blocked their daughter away for hundreds of years. Now she was coming free of bonds and it was turning against them.

"She blames more Thor than you, Sif. When she told me, she was angry at him. She said you were still there, and it was not your fault if her father is a jerk."

Sif smiled. She looked also like her daughter at this moment. Both were meant for the battlefield. What nobody seemed to realize about Torunn, was that she was every bit the woman her mother was, and every bit the warrior she was. She was not a child. She was a goddess, it was written in her blood, her body and her mind. She was a warrior, it was written in her blood, in her body and in her mind. But she was a goddess, and it was written in her smiles and her battle screams.

* * *

**So?**

**What did you think? **

**I can't wait to know what you thought of that little chapter!**

**Don't hesitate to give me feedback! **

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart **


	21. Live long and prosper

**Hi everyone!**

**Today, an extra long chapter. I was in vacations I had extra time so... Extra words...**

**This chapter is dedicated to Leonard Nimoy, who passed away on the 27th of February. **

**For all the Star Trek fans, there are quotes from Spock or related to Spock hidden in this chapter. Some of them are very famous, some others less, and some were slightly changed to fit in the story. Would you try and find them? Don't hesitate to tell me about it!**

**Now, enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

After the kind of fight they had had the previous days, the relationship between Torunn and her father had gotten in a worse twist. They wouldn't see each other without muttering curses and insults in their breaths. The bitter change affected the moods of all the agents crossing their fights, from Leo who felt so close to the young woman, to May, who understood the fight of Sif, to Skye, who had been looking up to Thor, in an admiring gaze, before knowing what a massive jerk he indeed was.

But this time, when she learned from her mother a truth she wasn't prepared to hear, her anger swell considerably. How could he had kept such an important fate from her, through all the fights where her name was spoken? She stormed out of the cell, hand on her hilt of her sword.

"Father!"

He turned to her. She was visibly too angry for words. Coulson who was talking with the Asgardian before his daughter interrupted swallowed. She looked dangerous. But her voice stayed calm, even cold, when she talked to him. Behind the words, they all could feel the repressed anger.

"It appears that you have been keeping important information from me."

"What are they, child?"

His 'child' was contemptuous. She took a deep breath. It wasn't anger anymore, it was pain, and a deep deep sadness. She couldn't believe it. She had taken a few seconds to realize that when Sif had let it slip. Then, the pain and the sadness had made her want to curl up in a ball and cry her heart out, then it had been the wrath, that had made her shake from head to toe in despite. How dared he not share this with her?

"The fate of my master and grandmother, Queen Frigga. Or I would say, her death by the hand of Malekith."

There was a silence. Thor looked at her, then turned his gaze to Sif, who had followed her daughter in the room. It was her fault, as it always was.

"I thought you knew."

"How could I? You know I was in your prisons when it happened! You, or at least your soldiers, put me in there, for nothing more than not executing the mad order of killing some villagers."

"You shouldn't have disobeyed your order!"

"Excuse me of having some sort of morality!"

He rolled his eyes. She was a soldier, she was supposed to follow orders. Even those who went against her so-called morality. She dared say that after all those she had killed along with Hella.

She was mad enough to confront him on that. That girl wasn't worth calling his daughter. She was nothing more than a rogue child.

"Father. Inform me. What happened?"

Her voice was lower, sadder. She just wanted to know. There was no vindictive state to her intentions now. She just wanted her father to tell her what had happened. The truth, for once.

"They slayed her while she protected my beloved Jane Foster and her King, Odin. The Dark Elves were invading the walls of Asgard, slaughtering and ravaging. Our soldiers were busy on the battlefield. And the sire of the Elves crept into the palace. They fought well. But she fell to his assault. We gave her the funeral she deserved."

So Jane Foster was partly responsible for her grandmother's death? She tried not to think of it, no the woman hadn't killed Frigga, it was all the fault of the Dark Elf Malekith. But the temptation to blame the mortal and, that way, her father was big.

"Only such minor disturbances are inevitable when Humans are involved."

She muttered. Her father heard it and shook his head, suddenly upset.

"You will not speak that way of the woman I gave my heart to!"

"This is a new thing of yours! All the sudden you defend a Midgardian! All the times I was with Leo and you stormed in, speaking hurtful words and glaring at him. You suggest I should not feel for a mortal, and yet you love one. And yet you defend her when I say nothing but something you would say."

"She helped me see my mistakes. Loving her was logical."

"Logic has nothing to do with love, father! Love is about feeling! And from what I see today, you seem not to love this mortal maiden!"

He didn't say anything. He just looked at her, eyes in fire, glaring daggers at her. She dared challenge him that way. She dared act as if she knew more about love than him. How could she? Was the feeling for this scientist more than just affection? Was it actually love she was developing towards him?

"What do you feel, child?"

"Now? I feel anger for the one who took Frigga's life - an anger I cannot control."

His eyes softened a little. She was not indifferent to that, or just blindly sad. She was also angry, revengeful. It could be dangerous but now, he didn't believe so. If she wanted to slay some dark elves, she could. She would. And the Asgardians would be grateful.

"I believe... that she would say, "Do not try to."

She didn't add anything. She just looked at him. He saw the emotion starting to go to her eyes, and she took a deep breath.

"Thank you."

He nodded and she went away. Coulson looked at the two parents, and decided that it wasn't the moment for any smart-ass comment. Indeed, he excused himself and walked away. The tension was blatant. Sif was shaking her head.

"It was unwise not to tell her."

"What is necessary is never unwise."

"How was hiding the truth from your daughter necessary? She is broken. She probably went to cry her heart out. She may be a warrior, but she's a woman, she feels. How did you take it when you heard about her death? How did that make you feel?"

"My personal feelings have nothing to do about it."

He didn't understand. Did he want to? She wanted to show him that their daughter was sad, angry and that he needed to take it easy with her until she had mourned the death of the woman that had taken the role of a parent, a teacher, a friend and a confident. But he didn't understand. He was so blind to her feelings… That was him. Blind and brutal. Even Jane Foster hadn't changed the way he acted around people.

"What are you going to do?"

"What shall I do? History cannot be changed. And her anger towards the assassins of Frigga is a good thing. She'll slay them, and we won't have to do it ourselves."

"You send our daughter to war against a powerful people who own an Infinity Stone!"

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

"You're a beast!"

And they started to fight again. It was always like that in their family. A neverending fight. And the truth about it was that they didn't actually despite it. It kept them from harboring too much feelings about the others. Sif kept herself blinded by her hatred towards him, to hide her true feelings. She still loved him for Odin's sake! But he didn't. So she kept it hidden, in her shallow heart.

* * *

Jemma Simmons was checking the state of her new subjects of researches when she heard soft footsteps. She sighed. Who came again to see Ward? How could such a traitor bring all these people here? She turned and stopped dead in her tracks. It was the Asgardian psycho. But something was odd about her. Her eyes were red and swollen, she was sniffing, she looked like a mess.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard he was awake."

The scientist sighed. She was not going to let this crazy girl near her, and near her patient. Even though the perspective of her killing him to finish the work wasn't bad.

"I can't let you near him. You're dangerous. And if you are still obeying to your friend Hella, you could kill him. Not that I would mind. But the ethic forbid me to let you in."

"I do not follow her anymore. And I swear my intentions towards Grant are nothing but friendly."

Torunn looked at her with her red eyes. She was speaking quietly, tiredly, as if she couldn't get angry anymore, all her spirit spent on the war with her father. But more and more, in the past days, the way the young woman was behaving made her want to talk to her in a different manner, confront her with what she was doing to Leo and the others with her never-ending fits of snarls.

"You said that too many times and in too many ways for me to believe you."

"Come on, Jemma Simmons.I know, Humans make illogical decisions. But think."

That didn't seem to change the way the woman thought. She almost seemed even more contemptuous. She hated and judged at the same moment, without thinking it further. Sometimes, Torunn wondered if that hatred was caused by the way she was getting closer to Leo. She was in love with Tripp, deep in a relationship with him. Her behavior was illogical, impossible for Torunn to understand.

"She almost killed him, and Skye, and she killed another man back there. This is why I don't trust you. You're a savage. A killer, a beast!"

"You speak of savagery with so much contempt. Who are you to judge me that way? My savagery... Hella wanted to exploit my savagery. Intellect alone is useless in a fight. You, you can't even break a rule _ how can you be expected to break bone?"

The scientist looked at her with big eyes at the way she was talking. Her tone was dull, as if she was repeating something she had said a hundred times already, and maybe she had. But Jemma didn't believe any word coming from her lying mouth, she was friend with a traitor, she was a killer and she had tried to slay her own family. How could anyone trust her?

"Hella used me as a weapon. I helped her realize her vision of a ruthless army. She sent it directly against you, to kill those guarding this unsuspecting realm, leading to one inevitable outcome: the Asgardians would come searching for whoever was responsible, and you would have no chance of escaping what was to come. Hella would finally have the war she talked about, the war she always wanted."

Hella was to blame indeed, as Garrett had been to blame for Ward's acts. These psychos couldn't be responsible for their own acts, or couldn't respond of them when they saw justice. It was something she had seen already a few times. They were just all the same.

"Do you believe that Grant and I are evil?"

"I do."

Such a narrow mind. She sighed. These people were just a bunch of closed minds, Leo was the only one trying to understand her more. Even her parents didn't have that research of the truth. She stepped closer to Jemma Simmons, looking at her right in the eyes.

"Evil seeks to maintain power by suppressing the truth. Or by misleading the innocent. Did Ward ever wanted to do that, once he was in prison?"

"Not once he was in prison. But he did before!"

"What happened is gone in the past. I think you should try to look past that hatred of yours, Jemma Simmons."

"How can I? He tried to kill me. You, for all I know, is going to try to kill me."

No. No, it wasn't like that! Why didn't she understand? She was like that too. She was misunderstood at the beginning, a scientist, a nerd.

"Listen to me. Grant and I are nothing more than followers. Without followers, evil cannot spread. This is the truth. We were too blind to see what we were doing. But now, we do. People can change."

"People are born evil."

She was about to bite back, starting to get tired of this blind conversation. But she was cut by a noise, the noise of a body turning, a moan. It was painful, echo of what she felt at this moment, but it was not the same kind of pain. Hers was moral, but the moan she heard showed a pain much physical, the pain of a broken body. She turned towards the bed where, hooked to all these devices, Grant Ward was looking at her with sleepy eyes.

Torunn didn't look at Simmons again, but the woman didn't say anything and left them alone. Birds of a feather fly together. If the Asgardian killed him, they would have one less psycho to think about.

The young warrior sat on the floor next to the head of the bed. Her smile was wide, but her eyes were sad. He was worried instantly. What could change her mood so easily? She wasn't the one to cry or let go of anything in public.

"What happened?"

"I… It's nothing…"

"Torunn Thorsdottir, it's not nothing, I can see it on your face. Tell me."

She had a little sad smile. It was one of the first times somebody cared about what she felt.

"I heard my grandmother died."

"Sorry."

"It's ok. She has been for much time now. She died before what you see as the Battle of London, where my father and Asgard battled against Malekith and his Dark Elves. I knew there were many losses. Nobody told me about Frigga."

"You were on the battlefield?"

"No. I should have been. I was imprisoned."

"Oh."

She looked at him. He didn't care. Nobody cared anyway. She was sure it was just an act, a plain facade. She didn't deserve any friend. She wanted to. But she didn't. Nobody liked her or loved her. She was just a crazy psycho.

"Torunn, look at me."

She did so. His eyes were dark, chocolate brown. There was a nice vibe to him, vehiculated by the soft glow of his eyes and the light smile on his lips.

"I care about what you have to say. You are not alone anymore. Now, you have true friends. I have been and always shall be your friend."

"Thanks."

She meant it. But soon, her worries went to his physical pain, the one she had felt in his moan. He was looking bad, lying on his belly on the bed. Not moving. She stood up, chatting a little with him. She wanted to check his wound.

"How are you feeling?"

"I thought I was going to die."

"Not possible. I was never gonna let Hella have you."

The silence between them that settled was comfortable. It was the kind of silence nobody wanted to break. But they did when she saw the wound. The bandage was old and she had decided to change it. She had seen her share of sword wounds on the battlefield, and had seen worse than him. She could take care of it. She did.

He was not healing fast. The skin was still torn in a not-so-linear line from his right shoulder to just above his left hip. It had re-opened some old scars that made his back look like it had been cut by a butcher. It was ugly and red. She understood why he was in such a pain. She took care of the bandage. Her hands were cold and calloused. He could feel, and he had seen, that these hands were those of a warrior. They were so different than Skye's.

"Here you are."

She settled back next to him. He looked at her. She seemed less sad than before, calmer. She smiled at him and he smiled back, less widely, but a smile nonetheless.

"Did you see Skye?"

"Yes, I did. She's a nice girl. Troubled. But aren't we all?"

"She hates me."

"No, she doesn't."

"I saw the way she talked to me! She hates me! The only thing I can do is protect her but she doesn't let me."

"I guess you succeeded pretty well. That's why you're here, remember?"

He sighed. Yes, he knew all this. But she had wanted to kill him. And she was surely going to, by interrogating him when he was better. He was surprised they hadn't tried to get something from him yet. He was weak enough to give them something.

"Tor'..."

"My experience tells me something. In critical moments, men sometimes see exactly what they wish to see. But I have to admit, humans do have an amazing capacity for believing what they choose, and excluding that which is painful. Which leads to one solution."

"What?"

"She loves you, idiot."

"Impossible."

"If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

He looked at her as if she was crazy. What had she said again? He started to chuckle, then laughed a little. She still didn't understand why he was doing that. She asked him and he shook his head.

"You speak like Spock."

"Who?"

"Ask Fitz. That's his kind of things."

She raised an eyebrow.

"If you say so…"

"Don't worry, it's nothing... Just… Live long and prosper, Torunn Thorsdottir."

She smiled. It was a funny way to put it in words, but she liked it. She nodded.

"I shall, my friend. I shall."

They went chatting for some time of everything and nothing. It was nice, and easy between them. Simmons looked at them from far away and was revolted by that. These two were plotting something, she was convinced. And they couldn't know emotions such as joy and affection, and friendship. They didn't deserve it. They were just killers.

* * *

Hours after, in his bad-lit office, Coulson was trying to understand what had just happened. The information in the recording of the mission's coms was bearing a blatant truth, but, in his sleep-deprived state, he was still early in his comprehension of what it meant. There were sounds of pain, the cold voice of Hella Lokisdottir. Some things he didn't understand, in a language unknown to him. He would have to show it to one of the Asgardians.

He sighed. From the shelf next to the door, the Captain America memorabilia he had collected looked scary, eyes of plastic fixed on him. In the day, these looks were supporting, but in the night it was different. Everything was different. He had seen a troubled Carter, presenting her resignation, thinking Skye had disobeyed her, sad of the loss of Agent Blake. He had said no to this nonsense. They needed any agents they could have.

Hydra had fallen, for sure, but there were still sleeper cells all over the world and maybe in the heart of SHIELD. Since the undertaking and the betrayal of Ward, he had had even more troubles trusting people. But there was one person he wasn't sure why but trusted. She was a killer, but she hadn't tried to kill anyone in the team. She was a psycho but she seemed sane, grounded, balanced and incredibly smart for her age. At least for her physical age.

"Can I come in?"

This voice was not the one of the girl he was thinking about, Torunn Thorsdottir, but the voice of the woman he trusted with his life. Melinda May was his anchor in sanity and she only could smile with her eyes while stating harsh truths. She was standing at the threshold, a bottle of unrecognizable liquor in one hand. He smiled. He knew it was tequila, her favorite. And he sure needed a drink right now.

"Do you even need to ask?"

She sat in front of him. He turned to grab two glasses. When he looked back, she was eyeing the few files scattered on his desk. He sighed and put them away as much as he could. Soon, there was enough space and the alcohol was in the glasses. He gulped some and gasped.

"Strong one!"

"Courtesy of our Mexican friend, Agent Rodriguez."

"Remember the time we spent in Mexico?"

"I hadn't been that drunk in my whole life."

They laughed at the memory. It had been years since they hadn't been to the Library, the Mexican base. It was one of the best places to find communication agents, Agent Rodriguez's team specializing in undercover missions in foreign countries. And her stock of tequila was great too.

"So you heard it?"

"Yeah…"

She nodded, understanding the way he was feeling. She had had the same reaction upon hearing it. She drank a little.

"It's disturbing, right?"

"I have to admit that it is. I can't see why he did that."

"Love, Phil. Aren't we ready to do anything for the ones we love?"

"Right…"

He smiled at her with a tenderness in his eyes. Of course he knew that, they both did. Too many times they had risked their lives for one another. They finished their first drink and went for a second.

"Game?"

He asked, cards in his hands. She sighed. She didn't like to play because she always lost against him. But he liked it, it made him focus on other things. So, she played.

"Nothing too serious?"

"Just… Poker..."

"A very interesting game, this poker."

"Depends which version we play…"

They laughed and started to play. They were gone for a very colorful night. As always when they played his game. The game went on and quickly she started to loose, stripping off more and more while he stated way more clothed. They both appreciated the intimacy of the Director's office on these days…

* * *

"For God's sake, I just wanted to check on Ward!"

She had mistaken the cams feeds and had hacked into the wrong one. The one from the Director's office. She was seriously thinking to go have some brainwashing. Because you never want to see something like that. Not if the Director is the one you see as a father.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Don't hesitate to favorite, follow and/or review the story!**

**I've started a new story called the German Bride, check if you'd like. Mainly Skeward centric. **

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


	22. Five minutes

**Hi everyone!**

**It's been a while, but writer's block is a thing. **

**I'm back with a new chap full of... lot of things actually. **

**Enjoy reading this!**

* * *

She kept him always in her sight, watching his every move. In the pocket of her lab coat, she kept one of the tasers Fitz had designed. Simmons was not afraid of him. She was just cautious. After all he had done, she couldn't take too much precautions. She heard footsteps coming to the room. She looked up, hoping it would be Antoine. No, she shouldn't call him that, even in her head. She could let that name slip one day, and their relationship would be over as soon as it reached Coulson's ears. So, she hoped it would be Tripp. She smiled to herself. Much better.

"Jemma."

The voice was highly recognizable of course. It was Fitz. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be with that Asgardian he liked so much?

"What are you doing here, Fitz? You don't work here."

"I know."

She raised an eyebrow and turned around, looking at him. He was awkwardly standing against the door frame. She expected something else from him, but he didn't say another word. She sighed.

"What do you want?"

"I want to know if you worked on Torunn's shield."

She rolled her eyes. Of course it was related to that girl… He couldn't just be here to talk to her, try to rebuild some kind of friendship, no. He couldn't. She took a deep breath.

"No, I… didn't. I didn't have time. Sorry."

"I'll tell Coulson that…"

"I know it's the same material than the Berseker staff and Thor's hammer."

"So forged from Asgardian iron by the dwarves in Nidavellir… Lot of good this info is gonna give us…"

"I suppose she told you that…"

He sighed. She was right. Torunn had told him this during one of his talks. She had told him many things about her world and he had told her many things about Earth as well. They shared an interest for one another's culture. It was one of the things that helped her grow closer. But he still laughed when he saw her 'I-don't-get-what-you-are-saying-scientific-mortal' face. That happened everytime he tralked about science.

"She did. But I don't see what it changes."

"oh, you don't see. Right. Of course you don't."

"What is it Jemma?"

"You care more about some Asgardian serial killer than about your best friend."

"And that last person would be?"

"Me. I am your best friend Leo."

"You don't act like one. the closest thing I have to a friend right now is Torunn."

They were so caught up bickering that none of them saw the form of Skye slipping in the lab and sitting next to Ward's bed. She had to wait for the second part of the plan now. She looked up to see how he was. He was looking right at her with disbelieving eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but she shushed him.

"We can talk later. Just wait."

She muttered. He had a little nod. Fitz and Simmons were now plainly shouting at each other, all the things they hadn't said coming out on the surface. All the anger and the worries and all the hurtful acts of the past. It was raging and it was almost too violent.

At the moment they were starting to lose their nerves altogether, Tripp appeared at the door.

"Oh... I'm interrupting something?"

He asked, earning a roll of eyes from Fitz and a smile from Simmons. The latter looked rather happy to see him.

"Of course not, Ant… humm… Tripp!"

Leo looked at the two of them. And he was the one not giving attention to her? He didn't know who the two lovers were fooling but he wasn't one of them. He had agreed to talk to her only to help Skye. the girl needed to see her almost-maybe-ex-future-boyfriend-when-he didn't-want-to-kill-everybody_and-she-didn't-want-to-kill-him. He would have said no if it wasn't for Skye's sanity needing a boost, or the way Torunn had looked at him with puppy dog eyes. He sighed. Jemma was leaning against the agent, looking at him lovingly.

"Go get a room, you two… I'll close the lab."

He said, earning a surprised look from the two love birds. He shooed them away. They retreated to their bunk giggling like teenagers. He seriously hoped he would never look that silly. He wondered how Torunn had gotten Tripp to come now. He was doing the arsenal check list for Coulson and visibly didn't want to be bothered. But then again, she had arguments. Including a very sharp sword. He smiled and shook his head, thinking about Tripp's face when she had threatened him. It should have been a sight to behold.

He heard footsteps coming. There was supposed to be nobody else coming, to let Skye and Ward have a little bit of intimacy. Torunn was supposed to take care of that. He didn't doubt her ability to scare people off.

"Fitz."

Skye was holding Ward hand through the little talk between Tripp, Fitz and Simmons. They looked at each other in the eyes, not talking. She felt his thumb slowly brushing against her hand, and she didn't want to admit how good she felt. It was a warm feeling, she was calmer, better. She wasn't lost when she looked in his eyes, she was at home with him, safe. But that feeling of serenity was smashed when they both heard May's voice.

It was cold, authoritative as always. Ward's hand tightened around hers, dreading they would be discovered and she would be taken away from him. He hoped that would never happen. He had yet to apologize about many things, and he still needed her.

Immediately, the senior agent asked for them. It was clear that she had taken Torunn out of her way quickly. They both looked at each other, saying goodbye silently. Fitz tried his best to convince her they weren't here but she found them anyway. Her footsteps approached the bed.

May found a curled up Skye, sitting at the foot of the bed and holding Ward's hand. She was looking at her, as if she was daring her to keep her away from him. She could find it cute, adorable even, if she wasn't that worried for her 'daughter's sake.

"You two have five minutes. Then, I want you to go to your bunk, Skye. And not leaving it until tomorrow morning. Am I clear?"

She asked. They both nodded, thankful. Five minutes was better than nothing. She walked away and left them together. They heard Fitz leaving as well. They were leaving them some privacy. Skye took a deep breath.

"Hey…"

He smiled. Hey. That was all she had to say. But he understood as he opened his mouth to say something back. Words were pressing in his mind to express everything he was feeling, the pain now manageable and locked in a corner of his brain. But, as he exhaled, only one word came out.

"Hey."

* * *

The corridor was dark. Very dark. Carter doubted the Asgardian was in some kind of lighter room, maybe on an upper level. They had found her. Since the death of Agent Blake, she had taken finding the criminal to a personal level, which was not at all professional in any way. But now she had her, she knew her fighting style and she was wounded. This was the day she would get her revenge.

The blonde woman checked on her team, each member at a time. They all answered loud and clear, in the right order. They separated, guns ready to shoot. Their footsteps were quiet, their breathing even. But fear was starting to creep on their minds.

That same fear Hella put in their minds instead of rational thoughts. They tried to shake it away, but it remained waiting in a corner of their brains. It was like a little predator, clawing at you until you gave up. It was hidden and waiting to put you down.

She heard noise on the right. And all hell broke loose. A compelled soldier came out of a door, attacking them by surprise. He was shot easily but others started to come. They had underestimated them, somebody shouted in her com, before there was only static. Fear and anger crippled her mind and she lashed onto the assaillants. They were many but they were angry.

Her gun fired too many times, killing innocents who were just under the wrong person's commandement. But she had forgotten about that. She felt like her grandmother described when she was taking down Hydra pieces by pieces after Captain America's presumed death.

One death again, one body falling on the ground, soldiers calling for retreat. The thrill of chasing an opponent, the certitude of

finding her. Finally. The room was exactly like she thought it would be. She checked her bullets, she had enough for Hella. One for the heart, one for the head and one for each limb. She walked into the room.

"So you finally took courage to fight me, mortal?"

She stood up. Her armor was shining slightly. Her injured arm was cradled against her side by her metal clad one. She could almost look .

"I did. You're lucky. My orders are only to bring you back. Not to kill you."

"Why so vindictive?"

"You killed my teammate. And he was a good friend."

"Friends are useless. They are allies you cannot betray because feelings won't let you do it."

"Wasn't Torunn Thorsdottir your friend?"

"The Thorsdottir is merely a pawn to take Thor and Sif away from Asgard! She is nothing more to me than an ant is to a giant."

She laughed, a cruel, cynical laugh. The idea that Torunn Thorsdottir could mean something to her was ridiculous.

"Please surrender, Hella."

The woman stood up from her chair, left her wounded member dangle painfully from her shoulder and took out her sword. She could not see under the bandage but it should have been in a better state by now.

"No."

"Fighting is not a solution."

"It is and you know it."

"Then... There's only one way to end this."

"We fight."

* * *

"Nice socks, AC."

Coulson looked from his newspaper to the young hacker he liked to see as a daughter. Skye sat on the couch, in sweatpants, looking nothing but exhausted. She was munching on cereals, and didn't say another word. What was she talking about? How could she know what socks he had on? He just frowned and let it go.

"You'll tell May she looks good in red."

"What?"

May never wore red. She was always in black, or at least dark colors. He looked at Skye who didn't stop munching on her cereals. She turned on the tv. It was a habit of hers she had lost with the time, breakfast with the tv on. He was happy to see her doing it again, it meant she was feeling better.

Torunn entered and sat next to Skye. She looked as awake as the hacker. They shared a look and the mortal put the bowl of food between them. He raised an eyebrow and resumed his reading. They started to chat, of little things. Skye asked for news of Ward, Torunn gave them to her. They continued their little chat. The death of her grandmother was debriefed and Skye's willingness to touch the warrior surprised him. The Asgardian had a little smile. Everybody was starting to get attached to her. And he understood why. She was a nice girl, when you went through her bad side.

They focused back on the tv, and the silly sitcom full of tropes the channel was broadcasting. Tripp sat on the other side of Skye and the bowl went back to the hacker, where the three of them could pick some cereals with their hands. They didn't talk. They just focused on the sitcom. It was quiet this morning. The teams had gone on missions trying to get Hella back. Sif and May were sparring together in the gym, Thor was visiting the scientific ward to see Jane Foster, Simmons was running tests on whatever sciency project she was working on, Fitz was building another infernal device. And Ward… Well, Ward was sleeping. He had been taken back to a vault, his state better, more stable.

"Where did you have this scar?"

It was Tripp's voice, he was pointing at the pink scar tissue visible on her ankle. It was round and different than the other scars they could see. She dragged her pant leg a little so they could see more of it.

"Battle scar."

"Bullet?"

"We do not use firearms on Asgard. This one was… An arrow . It pierced through my ankle."

They all looked at her with wide eyes. She said that like it was nothing. An arrow had gone though her foot and she was telling this story with no particular emotion.

"Oh my God… It must have hurt like Hell!"

"At the moment yes. But I've seen way worse."

"Have you ever been tortured?"

Coulson decided it was the moment to stop the storytelling.

"They don't wanna know."

"You're too protective of them."

"Torture is something they will learn by themselves. And not soon."

"You prefer know that they were terrified, leaving the imagination to think about horrible fates when they come to look at the tormentor in the eyes?"

"You're a goddess. What they did to you would hurt them stronger."

"As you say, Son of Coul, I am a goddess. And the torture they applied on me was designed for a god. "

He took a deep breath. He shouldn't get angry with the girl. She someway had a point. Someway. It was true he didn't want to worry the 'kids' about torture, or the dangers of being a SHIELD agent. Most of them had already seen it, but he still wanted to keep them away from it. She was right when she said it was better for them to be prepared, at least mentally, for it. But he was too much protective.

"Just… Don't walk around showing off your scars and telling your graphic war stories."

"What do you have, humans, against scars and battle? This is a fate of pride on Asgard. I'm only recognized as a warrior if I have scars and stories behind them. These scars show how they thought I was weak. And how I proved them wrong. This is a sign of courage, and patriotism, and strength. This is the sign you can protect your people."

"And knowledge, wisdom, the acts of the mind rather than those of the sword? What are they, for you Asgardian?"

"In war, good words lead to nothing but death, when battle skills lead to victory, wealth and peace."

"And happiness?"

She sighed and looked away. All her life she had believed that war never brought happiness, but it was necessary for some people to sacrifice their happiness to the cause. But now… It was different. War had led her to this realm, to these people she was getting attached too. War had led her to Leo and Grant and Skye. It had brought her parents, or at least her mother, back.

War had its flaws. But it was how she lived. She had war inside her. It had kept her alive. But it had threatened to destroy her too. And it was leading her to what she craved the most. Recognition. Love.

"Happiness… is different."

"It…"

He didn't have the time to finish his sentence, not even to start it properly. An over-excited agent Carter rushed into the room. She started to talk at an extreme speed, but had to stop to breathe. It was the moment he chose to say something.

"Start again. Slowly."

"We found Hella."

He stood up, immediately. Torunn followed, hand on her sword at her hip. She was ready for battle. He looked at her. Should he send the girl out? She was surely an amazing warrior, the kind you could not forget. He had seen her style, her ways. She could hold her own against Hella. But he couldn't risk letting her loose. She was still a prisoner. Even if she had way too much freedom.

"Where?"

"They are bringing her in."

"They defeated her?"

She nodded. He remarked she was in field gear. She had been on the team who captured the Asgardian. She looked proud of her team. She was indeed proud, but also sad. Another agent had fallen under her command.

"Yes sir."

"She has to be in one of the high-secure vaults. Don't let anyone close to her. It's a threat for SHIELD and Earth."

The woman nodded. She gave orders and walked away. Before she could pass the door, Coulson called after her. She turned to him, waiting for the new instructions she thought would come.

"Good job, Carter."

"Thank you, Director."

She smiled, shaking her head, and resumed her way to the vaults. They had a psychotic serial killer to take care of.

* * *

**So... Here we are!**

**Block overcome and all...**

**What do you think? **

**This is the first time I hint about what is going on in this story... Do you have any ideas? **

**Thanks for reading. **

**Don't forget to review/fav/follow etc, I really love that!**

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart.**


	23. Sword

**Hi everyone!**

**No, I'm not dead, I'm pretty much alive and finally updating. The thing is I just stabbed one of my fingers and it hurts like hell... That's great to type, right? :(**

**Anyway, here is finally the new chapter. But I already started the next one so you might have it a little bit more quickly!**

**Enjoy this chap**

* * *

Loki Laufeyson was sitting on his Asgardian throne. He had revealed his true identity to the court a few days ago and they were all coming pledge allegiance to him. He was the true King, he had always known. Lorelei was sometimes at his side, but the shallow purposes of the woman were annoying him most of the time, so she stayed in her apartments most of the days. He would visit her some nights. At his feet today were kneeling the Warriors Three. Not voluntarily, they were prisoners. They had stayed loyal to Sif and Thor, and their fallen King. But Odin was gone, and Thor and Sif were dealing with the renegade Torunn Thorsdottir and Loki's own daughter Hella.

One of those tasked of watching over Heimdall arrived at that moment. His quick pace and behavior showed that something had happened. He sent for Lorelei and sat comfortably. He thought about the celebrations that were going to take place in the night. A victory like this one could only be celebrated with a night-long dinner. He smirked. That was his victory, his pleasure, his crown. He had his throne and his revenge.

Lorelei arrived, cold and splendid as ever. He greeted her with a nod and indicated her place on the second throne, smaller, at his side. She took her place as the Queen of Asgard and had a little smile. He smirked. She enjoyed her place. But not as much as he did. He had power. And the rightful heir didn't know anything about it. Thor was too busy dealing with his pathetic family.

"My King, My Queen… I am here to report to you what is happening of your daughter."

"Speak."

"She was captured. She is in. Midgard will fall and your supremacy will be confirmed over five of the Nine Realms."

"Vanaheim will soon fall, I assure you so. It makes three left."

Loki smirked at what Lorelei had just said. Once Sif and Thor were dead, killed by the hand of their own daughter, he would be the greatest king this Universe had ever seen. He would conquer all the realms of the great world tree, and shape them to his will. He would be fair and firmly cruel, and whole species would kneel before him. He looked down to the three men at his feet. They looked back, glared at him.

"Put them in the dungeons. Forever."

* * *

"Steady. Keep her straight."

Torunn sighed. He was so clumsy. She knew that was how she had seemed to her grandmother when she had started her training, but she couldn't help but find it ridiculous. She shouldn't laugh at him. The way his hand was slightly trembling was adorable.

She had given him her sword, and he was trying to keep it steady. He didn't know what a sword represented in Asgardian culture. She had just taken him to the gym and made the blade fly between her hands, before handing it to him. And he was now struggling to keep the heavy weapon up. How could she, being all small and thin, do what she did with it?

"I heard that Asgardian weapons have names. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is. Not only the weapons."

"What's your sword's name?"

She smiled. That was something extremely intimate that he was asking, without the knowledge of it. She didn't answer. She just looked at him holding her sword down. She saw the weight of it in his shoulder and the way he held his wrist. Not used to this kind of weapons. Easily defeated. She shook off what her warrior spirit at immediately whispered to her.

"You're not focused, Leo."

"I'm not a warrior. Why don't we…"

He took a step closer to her. She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He just smiled a little. She sighed and took his hand, guiding the sword, supporting both his arm and the blade. She made him pierce an inexistent enemy, turn around. He didn't really care about the motions she was explaining to him. He wasn't a warrior. He wasn't even really a field agent. But he enjoyed this kind of dance. Dance… He had a sudden idea. He turned her around suddenly, earning a surprised look from her. He managed to put the sword back in its sheath, at her hips and looked up at her.

"Dance?"

"Dance? I'm a warrior, Leo Fitz, I do not dance."

"Come on princess."

He took her hand and she started blushing. He guided her so his arms were wrapped around her small frame. She was tensed, he could feel it in the way she moved. The hand he had put on her shoulder felt the tensed muscles. She was such a ball of nerves, it was incredible. Her pale skin was woken up by the flaming blush of her cheeks. Her eyes was twinkling slightly. But she was uncomfortable. He started to back away from her but she took his hand and kept him near.

"No. Stay."

She smiled and he went back to his position. They started moving together, he guided her through the steps. She looked up at him, her grin wide. She relaxed and started to be a little bit more confident. They didn't waltz, they just walked in circles, with a slight rhythm. But it was still nice. Like really nice. There was no music, maybe in their heads, but there was no need for music. His smile and the delicate weight of his hand on her waist, his eyes were smiling too, the way he kept her close was not pressing or demanding. It was protective and warm and she just leaned into his touch. She just hoped this moment would last forever.

Her eyes were perfect. The bluest he had ever seen, but also flawed, with golden and orange too. Now that he had tasted these eyes for the first time, he wanted to see them, always, under different suns and stars. He wanted to see them in the morning sun, still heavy from sleep. He wanted to see them focused and determined on training, full of passion, of rage, of love. He wanted to see them on a raging battlefield, next to a fire in the cold winter nights. He wanted to see them everytime he looked to his side. He wanted to see them before going to sleep, joyful, sad, in pain, through everything. He wanted to see them proud, young and old, always by his side. He could drown in these eyes now. Right now.

He was getting closer to dive into these eyes, heart thundering in his chest, breath heavy and lips parted already. He breathed into her scent, enjoying her smell of wilderness. He was close, really close, close enough for a kiss. He wanted to know how the rest of her tasted, because if her eyes only were this perfect, he could not imagine something more splendid. She was a goddess, his goddess. She was a princess, but not the kind you save. The kind you worship.

"Daughter!"

She walked away. Their lips didn't even brush. She was gone, had taken a few steps backwards, putting space, too much space between him and her. They looked up to see Thor watching them. He seemed quite upset about something. Torunn looked back at him. She whispered that she was sorry and stumbled up the stairs, looking back at him. A few seconds later, angry screaming could be heard all across the base.

* * *

"Hola, Philippe."

He sighed. The woman at the other end of the coms was one of his old friends. Somebody who knew him damn well. He heard May coming to sit next to him. She smiled at the agent. They greeted each other, visibly quite happy to see each other, even if it was only my video call. The dark-haired Mexican was standing in her office at the Library. Behind her, they could see one of the monstrous collections of books this place was known for.

Coulson had sent a message to their friend about what the Asgardians had said. Hella had been talking about Ragnarok, and the other aliens had seemed shocked by this. Something was up in Asgard, and they needed all the intel they could have. Where could they find it, except in SHIELD's data base. Eliza Rodrigues and her team had surely went through all the cold cases and old books they could find to find intel.

"Hola, Eliza. How is it going?"

"Good, my friend. We keep running into octopus agents. They are trying to find shelter in here. Too bad for them, they don't know about the Library. But our vaults are getting too full. Would you care to take some?"

"Why not? Let's schedule a meeting."

"I'll take care of the food."

"Right. Always about food…"

"She's a walking stomach."

A young agent had appeared next to Eliza on the screen. She said hello, and introduced herself to Coulson. She was agent Ly, from the Library's science division. May had had a hand in her training, so she knew who the girl was.

"Shut up, speedy."

The agent stopped talking. There was a playful glow in her eyes. She let her superior continue the talk. Eliza Rodrigues explained the subtleties of Viking mythology, and Asgardian History as it was the same thing, to the two agents.

It took a lot of time. Two, three hours. At the end, both Coulson and May had no more trouble making the difference between Jörmunngard, the Midgardian snake, and Fenrir, the great wolf, but they were slightly overwhelmed by the amount of fantastic horrors about to fall down on their realm, if Hella's prophecy was true.

Agent Ly had surrendered and had gone god knew where to check god knew what. And Skye had come ask if everything was ok, after hearing laughs coming from the lab.

"Thank you for your help, Agent Rodrigues."

"It was a pleasure, Melinda. And do not hesitate to come one of these days! We'll be glad to have you here. You can even bring your kids."

She laughed at the sight of their blush. Those two were unbelievable. They had been turning around each other for years. Decades even. The Mexican agent knew they had finally resolved the tension. For her, who knew them damn well, it was clear.

"And leave the prisoners here alone? They would blow up the base!"

"Then, bring them. I heard that the majority of them weren't that bad."

"How do you know that?"

"My little speedy agent, the one you saw earlier, has a lot of friends. Starting with your engineer. Leo Fitz. He kept us updated about the amazing Torunn Thorsdottir and not-that-bad agent Ward."

"Ex-agent Ward."

May corrected, frowning. She still didn't believe the Torunn girl was that nice. She was, above all, a warrior. And a very dangerous one. And she would never really trust Ward again. What he had done, and what he had almost done... She just couldn't forgive and forget.

They scheduled a visit. They would bring Ward, Hella and Torunn. They had a couple of excellent interrogation agents at the Library. They would keep an eye on the two others, maybe find more intel. The Asgardians in general would provide a great source of intel. And agent Rodrigues looked positively excited to meet Thor, one of the Avengers.

* * *

"You're smart, Leo Fitz."

He looked up to the woman who had spoken these words. Sif walked into the room. She was dressed in Midgardian clothes, and that looked strange on her. She looked like a normal person, not the Goddess of War. He could see she was uneasy. All the contrary to her daughter, who had adapted really well to Midgardian customs. She was still awkward around a lot of things but… She was almost Midgardian now.

"But… traditions…. on Asgard? You don't understand them well, am I right?"

"I don't know them well."

She smiled. He was fidgeting with a piece of technology. She didn't really understand these. Midgard was more advanced than Asgard on some points. She stood next to him. She had known from Thor than Torunn and the scientist were getting closer. She wasn't angry, she wasn't like Thor. If her daughter fancied the young Midgardian…Sif had no problems with it. Not at all.

"Do you know… what are the traditions and beliefs associated to swords, on Asgard?"

"No."

He knew she was here to talk to him about what had happened earlier, what could have been a kiss. He had a little smile at that thought. He liked Sif. She was strong, and smart, and she was Torunn's mom. And she was a person he enjoyed talking with.

"Thor told me that my daughter gave you her sword... And I guess you have no idea of what that means for our people?"

"I just hope it's not irrevocably engaged."

Sif burst out laughing. He laughed with her. He kinda dreaded to know. He should have been more careful about this. But he trusted the girl about it.

"No, Leo Fitz. It means she trusts you with her life and beyond."

"What?"

"She gave you the power to destroy her. Both mentally and physically. On Asgard... This is sign of... Something almost more important than love."

* * *

**Here we are!**

**Tell me what you thought and all!**

**Until next time,**

**The Queen of Heart**


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